JPS58108502A - Treatment of peripheral side of optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To remove minute scars on the peripheral side of an optical fiber by heating the peripheral side to melt the side with heat. CONSTITUTION:To remove the minute scars on the peripheral side of a clad layer generated at the removal of a plastic coat 2 on the optical fiber 1, the optical fiber 1 is inserted between electrodes 3 of a discharge heater and heated by discharge to slightly melt the peripheral side of the optical fiber 1 with heat. In order to perform uniform heat melting on the peripheral side of the optical fiber 1, the optical fiber 1 is moved horizontally while being rotated and heating is stopped at the complete removal of the scars.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for treating the circumferential surface of an optical fiber to prevent the physical strength of the optical fiber from being reduced from having its plastic coating removed.

In connecting an optical fiber to an optical fiber or device, the plastic coating of the optical fiber is typically removed in order to assemble an optical connector at the end of the optical fiber. There is also a method of connecting without removing the coating, but this is disadvantageous in terms of accuracy because it is prone to eccentricity problems. Therefore, 1. When high-precision alignment is required, the coating must be removed. 0. During the coating removal process, contact between the coating removal device and the plastic coating and the optical fiber may cause the optical fiber to be exposed. Minute scratches occur on the circumferential surface. A coating removal device that does not cause scratches has not yet been found. These scratches cause a reduction in the physical strength of the optical fiber, so if some treatment is not performed to remove the scratches after the plastic coating is removed, the strength of the optical fiber will be reduced.

An object of the present invention is to prevent a decrease in the strength of an optical fiber by removing minute scratches on the circumferential surface of the optical fiber, which are the cause of decreasing the strength of the optical fiber.

The method for treating the circumferential side of an optical fiber according to the present invention is to heat the exposed circumferential side of the optical fiber after removing the plastic coating of the optical fiber to slightly melt the exposed circumferential side of the optical fiber.
It is characterized by removing scratches on the peripheral side surface of the optical fiber.

Hereinafter, the method of the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings.

First, the plastic coating (2) and primary φ coat of the optical fiber (1) are removed and the end thereof is exposed (see Figure 1). It consists of a core and a cladding layer provided around it. There are fine scratches on the outer peripheral side surface of the cladding layer of the optical fiber (1) that are generated when the coating (2) is removed, and this causes a decrease in the strength of the optical fiber.

Next, this exposed optical fiber (1) is inserted between the electrodes (3) of a discharge heater and heated by discharge to slightly melt the peripheral side of the optical fiber (1). Thermal melting creates optical fiber (1
) so that the optical fiber (1)
Move it left and right while rotating it (see Figure 2). Once the scratches on the circumferential surface of the optical fiber (1) are removed, heating is stopped and the circumferential surface treatment is completed.

In the above example, heating by electric discharge was used as a method of heating the circumferential side of the optical fiber, but other heating methods such as a force bomb, a nichrome wire, a laser, etc. are also possible. Moreover, although the optical fiber is rotated and moved in order to heat it uniformly, it goes without saying that the heating device may be moved by some method.

As described above, according to the present invention, by simply heating and melting the side surface of the optical fiber, it is possible to remove scratches on the circumferential surface that reduce the physical strength of the optical fiber exposed for connection. can prevent a decline in Further, since the circumferential surface of the optical fiber is only uniformly and slightly thermally melted, the optical transmission characteristics of the optical fiber are not deteriorated.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIGS. 1 and 2 are explanatory diagrams showing the procedure of work according to the method of the present invention. (1)...Optical fiber, (2)...Optical 7 Eyeper coating, (3)...Discharge heater electrode. Patent applicants: 4 people other than Tateishi Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A method for treating the circumferential surface of optical fibers, which removes scratches on the circumferential surface of the optical fiber by heating and thermally melting the circumferential surface of the exposed optical fiber after removing the coating of the optical fiber.