JPH10246843A - Identification code of optical fiber, and optical fiber printed with identification code - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To clearly print an identification code on an optical fiber by a dot printer, to facilitate and to make exact the visual identification of code under the circumstance of discoloring of the coat of the optical fiber and insufficient illumination by making the identification code the combination of bar length with the length of interval between bars. SOLUTION: The combination of the length of a bar 1 with the length of interval 2 of an optical fiber is represented as No.1-No.3 by making the lengths of bars 1; L, 2L and 3L with the basic unit S of the length of interval, as No.4 and No.5 by making the lengths of intervals 2; 2S, 4S with the basic unit L of the bar length, as No.6 and No.7 by making bar length 2L and the lengths of intervals 2S, 4S and as No.8-No.10 by making bar length 8L and the length intervals S, 2S and 4S. Consequently, by making the length of the bar 1, the length of interval 2 the multiple of integer of the basic units L, S, the visual identification of the difference of lengths becomes easy.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical fiber with an identification code (marking), and by printing the code on the optical fiber, an optical cable such as a slot type cable or a pipe aggregate cable. Facilitates visual identification between multiple optical fiber strands within
It is possible to minimize errors in the branching operation of the optical fiber due to an identification error, and to significantly increase the identifiable range.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a branching operation of a private optical fiber communication line, it is necessary to sequentially branch and connect an infinite number of optical fiber wires while identifying them. Conventionally, for this identification, the blue, yellow, green, red, purple,
White, peach, brown, ash, water, orange, and black ”are colored and colored, and these are used as marks or codes for identifying each optical fiber. However, these colors are due to discoloration of the coating layer of the optical fiber or poor lighting.
It may be difficult to distinguish between blue and light blue, red and brown, etc.
When 12 or more types of identification are required, the number of colors has to be further increased. However, the number of colors that are more difficult to identify increases. The main reason for identifying the same strand by coloring the coating of the optical fiber strand and identifying the same strand by this color classification is that the diameter of the optical fiber strand is extremely thin, 250 μm,
In addition, the running speed of the optical fiber in the production line is extremely high, which makes it impossible to print characters and symbols on the surface of the optical fiber.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, in view of the fact that optical cables are being consolidated and the number of optical fiber strands to be identified is increasing, it is possible to cope with this and to accurately identify them. The object of the present invention is to devise a code which can identify a large number of optical fiber wires by using a code alone or a combination of a coloring for identification and a code, and which can be printed on the optical fiber wire. It is.

[0004]

The first solution taken to solve the above-mentioned problem is that the length of the bar in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber and the length of the interval between the bars are a basic unit. , And a combination of these codes is used as a code and printed on the optical fiber. A second solution taken to solve the above problem is to make the length of the bar in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber and the length of the interval between the bars an integral multiple, and to combine these combinations with the printing color. Is used as an identification code, and this is printed on the optical fiber.

[0005]

[Operation] Regardless of whether the printing is performed on the optical fiber or the optical fiber, this printing is performed by the optical fiber spinning,
The printing is performed in a series of optical fiber manufacturing lines such as a primary coating (optical fiber conversion) and a secondary coating (optical fiber core conversion). The running speed of the optical fiber in this optical fiber manufacturing line is extremely high, and it is difficult to print numbers, characters, etc. on the optical fiber because it is extremely thin. It is possible to print a thin bar in the longitudinal direction (same as the running direction of the optical fiber) on the surface of the optical fiber. Therefore, a bar having a predetermined length is defined as a basic unit L, a length of a predetermined interval between the bars is defined as a basic unit S, and the bar of the basic unit L is intermittently arranged every basic unit S of the interval. It is also possible to print on optical fiber strands. By giving a certain rule to a combination of a bar having an integral multiple of the basic unit L of the length of the bar and an integral multiple of the basic unit S of the length of the interval between the bars, a large number of rules can be obtained. It can be an identification code (for example, if the interval is the basic unit S, the length of the bar is changed to an integral multiple of the basic unit L, and this is changed to N
o. 1 to No. 3, the bar is set to the basic unit L, the interval is changed to an integral multiple of the basic unit S, and this is changed to N.
o. 4, No. 5 etc.). Since the length of the bar lines and the length of the interval between the bar lines are integral multiples of the basic unit, it is easy to visually identify them, and they can be accurately identified. Also, by combining a combination of the length of the bar and the length of the interval between the bars with a color having a clear color tone, the number of identification codes is determined by the length of the bar and the length of the interval between the bars. Since it is a multiple of the number of combinations and the number of color types, the number is multiplied by several times the conventional number of colors to be identified.

[0006]

[Embodiment] The above-mentioned integral multiple is set to 2 to the power of n (where n is an integer). Since the basic unit of the length of the bar and the length of the interval between the bars cannot be too long (at most 2-3 mm), the length of the bar and the length of the interval between the bars are doubled, quadrupled, 8
By making it twice, these differences in length are more easily recognized visually.

[0007]

[Embodiment] Next, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The diameter d of the optical fiber is 250 μm, and the width of the bar is 0.25 mm. One basic unit L of the length of this bar is 2 mm, and the basic unit S of the length of the interval between the bars is 2 m
m. First, the combination of the length of the bar 1 and the length of the interval 2 is determined by setting the length of the bar 1 to L, 2L, and 4L with the length of the interval as the basic unit S. 1 to No. No. 3, and then the length of the bar is set to the basic unit L, and the length of the interval 2 is set to 2S, 4S. 4, No. 5 and
Further, the length of the bar is set to 2L and the length of the interval is set to 2L.
Nos. S and 4S. 6, No. 7, and the length of the bar is set to 8L, and the length of the interval is set to S, 2
Nos. S and 4S. 8, No. 9, No. 10
It is what it was. By making the length of the bar 1 and the length of the interval 2 twice, four times and eight times the basic units L and S, the difference in length can be more easily visually discriminated (when the basic unit is 2 mm). There is a possibility that a three-fold one is only 1.5 times a two-fold one, so there is a risk of misidentification when visually discriminating the difference. This is even more so for discrimination: a quadruple is twice as big as a double, so there is no danger). In addition, a code can be formed by a combination of a bar, a point, and an interval (space) thereof. In the above description, the combination of the length of the bar and the length of the interval (space) between the bars is represented by a code, and the printing color of the bar is a color that can be easily identified as blue, yellow, green, red, or the like. , And by combining them, the range of the identification code can be significantly expanded. For example, when the illustrated embodiment is combined with four-color coloring, 40 types of identification can be performed. The coloring may be by coloring the coating layer of the optical fiber, in which case the printing of the bar may be a single color. This is also an embodiment within the scope of the present invention.

[0008]

[Effect] Since the identification code is a combination of the length of the bar and the length of the interval between the bars, it can be clearly printed on the optical fiber by a dot printer, and the coating of the optical fiber is discolored. However, these codes can be easily and accurately identified visually even in an environment with insufficient lighting. Further, the number of optical fiber strands that can be identified can be dramatically increased by a combination of the length of the bar and the length of the interval between the bars. Since it is not always necessary to color the coating of the optical fiber, it is one of the advantages of the present invention that the cost of the coating can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Bar 2 ... Space between bars

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Keiji Ohashi 1440 Mutsuzaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Inside Fujikura Sakura Factory (72) Inventor Kazuo Hokari 3-192-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (72) Inventor Shinichi Furukawa Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, 3-9-1-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Claims (4)

[Claims] An optical fiber element, wherein the length of a rod in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber and the length of the interval between the rods are an integral multiple of a basic unit, and a combination of these is denoted by a code and printed. line. 2. The length of a bar in the longitudinal direction of an optical fiber and the length of the interval between the bars are integer times, and a combination of these combinations and a printing color is used as an identification code, and this is printed. Optical fiber. 3. The optical fiber according to claim 1, wherein said integral multiple is 2 n times. Here, n is an integer. 4. An optical fiber element obtained by printing a combination of the length of the bar in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber and the length of the interval between the bars, and printing the code on the surface of the optical fiber by a dot printer. How to identify the line.