JPH04256905A - Optical fiber sheet and laminate thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the optical fiber sheet laminate in which optical fibers can stably attain a square stack arrangement structure and to form the end face of the optical fiber sheet laminate to a nearly exact square shape. CONSTITUTION:Optical fiber laminate stabilizing members 12 are disposed at proper intervals in the spacings between the optical fibers 10 of the optical fiber sheet 11. Since the end face of the optical fiber sheet laminate is nearly exactly square in such a case, the coupling efficiency to a liquid crystal panel is improved.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an optical fiber sheet that can be effectively used for optical fiber displays, line lights, etc. In particular, when optical fiber sheets are laminated, it is possible to stably form a four-sided stacked array structure of optical fibers. The present invention relates to an optical fiber sheet that can be used.

0002

[Prior Art] Methods for producing optical fiber sheets using the melt spinning method are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 50-8540, 1982-10645, and 1982-1972.
Known examples include those disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-05 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 117202-1982. Other methods include using a drum for aligning optical fibers or
No. 7961, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 49-100548, etc., and other methods include Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 61-194406,
There is a method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-267706. A method of using a parallel array laminate of optical fibers as an image transmission body is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 101042/1983.

0003

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION By laminating optical fiber sheets, they can be effectively used as an image transmitting body as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 101042/1983.

However, when stacking optical fiber sheets, if the optical fibers are stacked in a four-way arrangement, the stacked structure will not be stable, so if the optical fiber sheets are stacked using a normal method, the stability of the stacked structure can be ensured. Currently, the optical fiber arrangement structure on the end face of the laminate has no choice but to adopt a stacked arrangement structure as shown in FIG. Reference numeral 21 in FIG. 2 is an optical fiber sheet, and when the optical fiber array is stacked in a stacked arrangement structure, the left and right end sides 22 and 23 have no choice but to form a zigzag structure as shown in FIG. Figure 3
When image transmission is carried out by bringing an original image on a liquid crystal or the like into contact with each other as shown in FIG. 1, there is a problem that the edges 22 and 23 cannot be used as a substantial image transmission section, and the efficiency of using the optical fiber is reduced.

[0005] Furthermore, when a large number of optical fiber sheet laminates as shown in FIG.
3, which has zigzag sides, is difficult to assemble so that there are no gaps between the joining surfaces, and tends to contain many dead spaces.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] Therefore, the present inventors conducted studies to obtain an optical fiber sheet laminate in which the optical fiber arrangement structure is stably stacked in a four-sided structure without the above-mentioned disadvantages, and as a result, the present invention was developed. completed.

The gist of the present invention is to arrange two or more optical fiber sheets in which a large number of optical fibers are arranged and at least one end thereof is joined into a sheet shape, so that the optical fiber laminated structure is arranged in a square stacked arrangement. An optical fiber sheet laminate, characterized in that the optical fibers are arranged in a four-way stacked structure, and members for stabilizing the array structure of the four-way stacked optical fibers are arranged between the optical fiber laminate structures at appropriate intervals, and the optical fiber laminate. It is an optical fiber sheet that can be effectively used to make a body.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an end face of an optical fiber sheet laminate according to the present invention. In the figure, 10 is an optical fiber that constitutes an optical fiber sheet, 11 is an optical fiber sheet, and 12 is an optical fiber sheet that is stacked so that the optical fiber laminated structure has a four-sided stacked arrangement. This is a member for holding.

The optical fiber sheet laminate of the present invention is shown in FIG.
As shown at 13 and 14 in FIG. 2, the shape of both side surfaces has a linear arrangement structure, which is completely different from the zigzag structure shown at 22 and 23 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, an end face 31 of an optical fiber sheet laminate having a square end face according to the present invention
is connected to a rectangular liquid crystal panel, the other end of the optical fiber 44 is fixed to the display panel 45 as shown at 51 in FIG. 4, and the liquid crystal display controller 46 is driven to display an enlarged image on the display panel surface. Since the coupling efficiency between the end face of the optical fiber sheet laminate of the present invention and the liquid crystal panel can be significantly improved compared to conventionally developed optical fiber laminates, extremely clear image display can be achieved. can be made to do so.

One end surface of an optical fiber sheet that can be usefully used for producing the optical fiber sheet laminate of the present invention preferably has a structure as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b). In the figure, 51 is an optical fiber, and 52 is a stabilizing member disposed in the optical fiber joining gap. This stabilizing member can be made of metal wire, plastic wire, etc., and preferably has a stable wire diameter, and its diameter should be approximately half of the diameter of the optical fibers constituting the optical fiber sheet. Moreover, it is preferable to use one with as little coloring as possible. The stabilizing members may be arranged between all the optical fibers of the optical fiber sheet as shown in FIG. 5(a), or they may be arranged at appropriate intervals as shown in FIG. 5(b). If the arrangement spacing is not set so that there are five or more optical fibers, the four-way arrangement of the optical fibers in the sheet laminate is better stabilized.

[0011] In order to produce an optical fiber sheet equipped with the stabilizing member of the present invention, a method using a drum winder as disclosed in JP-A-59-226304, or a side-by-side composite spinning method is used. It is better to take a method.

[0012] To make the optical fiber sheet of the present invention using the method disclosed in JP-A-59-226304, for example, a plastic optical fiber is wound on a drum winder to make a non-adhesive optical fiber sheet. , Apply adhesive to the flat plate part of the drum winder, and apply a stick member of an appropriate diameter to the gap between the optical fibers. This is a method of opening the lines.

In order to produce the optical fiber sheet of the present invention by the composite melt spinning method, a composite spinning nozzle 63 as shown in FIG. 6 is used.
It is best to make it using In the same figure, 61 is an optical fiber spinning hole, 62 is a spinning hole of a gap member, and the spun optical fibers in a molten state are collectively joined in a line to form an optical fiber sheet and are discharged. By joining the gap member in the molten state between the optical fiber joints, as shown in FIG.
The optical fiber sheet of the present invention can have a structure as shown in FIG. The cross-sectional shape of the gap member can be made into a desired shape by appropriately selecting the hole shape of the discharge nozzle 62.

[0014] In the optical fiber sheet laminate of the present invention, the optical fibers maintain a stable four-sided stacked structure, and the outer circumferential shape also constitutes an almost exact square surface, so that when bonded to a liquid crystal panel, the bonding will be difficult. Efficiency can be increased.

[0015]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples below.

Example 1 A plastic optical fiber having an outer diameter of 0.25 mm is wound up to a width of 625 mm while being brought into close contact with a drum winder. A plastic fiber having an outer diameter of 0.10 mm is wound over the entire width of the optical fiber at a pitch of 0.25 mm so as to be located between the valleys of the optical fiber. Thereafter, a thin layer of adhesive with good fluidity is applied to a 100 mm circumferential portion of the drum, and a fiber with a diameter of 0.10 mm and a fiber with a diameter of 0.25 mm are fixed as shown in FIG.

[0017] Next, the center of the portion fixed with adhesive is cut in the axial direction of the drum to obtain a sheet-like product having a width of 625 mm. This sheet-like material is divided into 50 tape-like products each having a width of 12.5 mm (equivalent to 50 optical fibers).

While applying adhesive to the fixed end portion of this sheet tape with the optical fiber section facing downward, the groove width is 12 mm.
．． Stack 50 pieces on a 5mm square base. When the end face of the cap was cut and polished, it was found that the outer circumferential shape of the optical fiber sheet laminate was almost exactly square, and the optical fibers had a stable stacked structure in a square stacked arrangement.

Example 2 Fifty plastic optical fibers were spun in the form of a sheet tape using a staggered array spinning nozzle as shown in FIG. 6, in which holes were arranged in a staggered arrangement between the nozzle holes. . The obtained sheet tape has plastic optical fibers each having a diameter of 0.5 mm, and plastic fibers each having a diameter of 0.2 mm bonded between adjacent optical fibers.

[0020] This sheet tape was cut to a length of 3 m, and 50 pieces were laminated on each end while applying an adhesive to a square base so that the optical fiber part was facing downward. When the end face of the obtained optical fiber sheet laminate was polished, the end face shape was almost exactly square, and the optical fibers were stably stacked in a square stack arrangement.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of one end surface of an optical fiber sheet laminate of the present invention in which optical fibers are arranged in a four-sided stacked arrangement.

FIG. 2 is an end view of a conventionally developed optical fiber sheet laminate in which optical fibers are stacked in a bale arrangement.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a liquid crystal panel is bonded to the end face of the optical fiber laminate.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of an optical display using the optical fiber sheet laminate of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an end view of the optical fiber sheet of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a composite spinning nozzle that can be effectively used to make the optical fiber sheet of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a drum winder that can be effectively used for producing the optical fiber sheet of the present invention when winding up a drum portion thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 21, 61 Optical fiber 11, 13, 14 Optical fiber sheet 12, 62
Array structure stabilizing member (plastic fiber) 63 Composite spinning nozzle 64 Drum winder

Claims (2)

[Claims] [Claim 1] An optical fiber sheet 2 in which a large number of optical fibers are aligned and at least one end thereof is joined into a sheet shape.
The optical fibers are arranged so that the optical fiber laminated structure is a four-sided stacked arrangement, and members for stabilizing the array structure of the four-sided stacked optical fibers are arranged at appropriate intervals between the optical fibers. Optical fiber sheet laminate. 2. An optical fiber sheet in which at least one end of a large number of optical fibers is closely arranged and bonded to each other in a single layer, and the optical fiber sheet is stacked in four directions between the bonded optical fibers on one side of the sheet. An optical fiber sheet characterized by having members bonded at appropriate intervals to ensure the stability of the arrangement when laminated in an array structure.