JPS60150015A - Production of optical fiber cable - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an excellent optical fiber cable while preventing damage of the fiber in the stage of coating a bundle with a resin by protecting the circumference of the optical fiber with reinforcing fibers then bundling spirally by a tape having heat resistance on the fiber. CONSTITUTION:An optical fiber delivered from a let-off bobbin 1 is enclosed circumferentially by reinforcing fibers 5 supplied in parallel with the fiber 2 via a guide 4 from a supply creel 3. A heat resistant tape 8 supplied via a guide pipe 7 from a bobbin 6 is supplied from the top and bottom as well as the right and left of the fiber 2 while the tape is rotated at a specified angle and pitch, by which the tape is spirally bundled on the fiber 2. A plastic resin 10 is then extruded from an extruder 9 to form the coating of the outermost layer thereon and the fiber is taken up on a take-up bobbin 11. Even if the resin 10 having a high m.p. is used, the fiber 2 is protected by the fibers 5 and the tape 8 and the adverse influence such as a change in the characteristics or the like is eliminated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable, and more specifically, the periphery of the optical fiber is protected with reinforcing fibers, and the fiber is further coated and bundled with a heat-resistant tape to improve durability and heat resistance. This invention relates to optical fiber cables with excellent characteristics.

Generally, optical fibers, both glass and plastic, have problems in terms of durability and the like, and are used as cables in which the periphery of the optical fiber is coated with plastic resin.

The manufacturing method for this cable involves extrusion coating and integrating high-temperature molten plastic resin around the optical fiber. During extrusion coating, the optical fiber is slightly covered under high temperature conditions, so there is no risk of damage to the optical fiber. Particularly in the case of plastic optical fibers, measures are taken to protect the periphery of the optical fiber with fibers from the viewpoint of heat resistance and to alleviate the heat shadow during extrusion coating.

However, even when protecting with such reinforcing fibers, it is difficult to achieve a uniform layered coating due to fluctuations in extrusion pressure and deviations in the extrusion direction when extruding glass resin coating, and it is difficult to achieve a uniform layered coating around the optical fiber. The arrangement of the reinforcing fibers that have been arranged and bundled becomes disordered, resulting in non-uniform coverage and obscured areas, making it impossible for the reinforcing fibers to fully exhibit their effects.

The present invention aims to solve these problems, and its gist is to provide a method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable in which the periphery of the optical fiber is protected with reinforcing fibers and the outer layer is coated with a plastic resin. In this method, after protecting the periphery of the optical fiber with a reinforcing fiber, the optical fiber is further bundled into a spiral shape using a heat-resistant tape.

In other words, the present invention uses a combination of covering the reinforcing fibers and converging them with a heat-resistant tape, thereby making it possible to integrate the reinforcing fibers while maintaining the uniform and even distribution of the reinforcing fibers around the optical fibers. Furthermore, by covering the optical fiber with a heat-resistant tape, the optical fiber can be sufficiently protected.

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

FIG. 1 is a process schematic diagram showing an example of a method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable according to the present invention. An optical fiber 2 fed out from a feeding bobbin 1 passes from a supply creel 3 to a guide 4, and then becomes an optical fiber 2. The reinforcing fibers 5 are supplied in parallel to
It is surrounded by and becomes a focused state. Next, the heat-resistant tape 8 is supplied to the optical fiber 2 from a separately provided feeding bobbin 6 through a guide pipe 7 in a bundled state with reinforcing fibers.

In this case, the heat-resistant tape 8 is supplied while rotating at a constant angle and pitch from above and below the optical fiber 2 or from the left and right, and the optical fiber 2 is focused into a spiral shape from each side.

During spiral winding, although not shown in detail, the heat-resistant tape 8 guided by the guide pipe 7 and supplied by the rotation of the feeding bobbin wraps the original fiber 2' at a constant pitch without gaps. It is then sent to the plastic resin coating process. Next, it is integrally covered with a plastic resin 10 extruded from a resin extruder 9 and wound onto a winding bobbin 11.

As the reinforcing fiber used in the present invention, any fiber can be used if the reinforcing effect of the heat-resistant tape is large, but heat-resistant fibers such as aromatic polyamide fiber, polyester, 66 nylon, etc. It is preferable to use synthetic fibers that have high heat resistance and excellent durability.

Any heat-resistant tape can be used as long as it is heat-resistant, and generally Teflon, polyester, nylon, or polyester with aluminum vapor deposition may be used. Further, for the chive shape, it is sufficient to use a tape having the minimum width necessary for the collective diameter of the optical fibers used and the running speed, and it is easier to spirally wind the tape by using a tape with a thickness as thin as possible.

According to the study results of the present inventors, a plastic optical fiber having a width of 5 to 10 m1K and a thickness of 0.01 to 105 mm is suitable.

Figure 2 shows the side view of the optical fiber cable obtained by the method of the present invention. 'r plane is shown, and the reinforcing fiber 5 uniformly covers the periphery of the optical fiber 2 located at the center.
Furthermore, the periphery thereof is covered with a heat-resistant tape 8', and the outermost layer is integrally covered with a plastic resin 10.

As mentioned above, the present invention further bundles the reinforcing fibers around the reinforcing fibers that cover the optical fibers and J-bars with a heat-resistant tape, and at the same time protects the whole. The reinforcing fibers do not shift and are uniformly coated around the optical fiber as shown in FIG. Even if misalignment occurs, the optical fiber is covered with heat-resistant tape, which prevents the melted resin from coming into direct contact with the resin during coating, thereby preventing any negative effects on the optical fiber. .

Furthermore, since it is double-covered with reinforcing fibers and heat-resistant tape, there is a wide range of types of plastic resin that can be used to cover the outermost layer, and those with high melting points can be used.
It has great effects, such as making it possible to manufacture cables for a wide range of uses.

This is particularly effective for plastic optical fibers.

As an example of the present invention, the optical fiber is a plastic optical fiber made by Mitsubishi Rayon (double structure in which a polymethyl methacrylate core is covered with a special transparent fluororesin sheath) with a diameter of 1 mm, and as a reinforcing fiber. Prite 150d/48 with polyester filament made by Mitsubishi Rayon
A trial production was made using a set of seven f i tapes, a heat-resistant tape made of Teflon manufactured by Nitto Denko Co., 20mm wide and 0.02mm thick, and a plastic resin made of 6t nylon manufactured by Toshi Co., Ltd.

The prototype conditions were: processing speed 8 m/min, number of reinforcing fibers 6, plastic resin extrusion temperature 250°C, extrusion screw rotation speed 7 r, p, m, and finished cable diameter 2.
．． 2■ Closed.

In the cross section of the manufactured optical fiber cable, reinforcing fibers were uniformly covered around the central optical fiber, and the heat-resistant tape was evenly coated around the reinforcing fibers. Furthermore, the evaluation results of the cable showed that there was no adverse effect on the core plastic optical fiber due to heat.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a process schematic diagram showing an example of the method for manufacturing the optical fiber cable of the present invention, and FIG. ...Heat-resistant tape 10 ...Glasstic resin procedural amendment July 7, 1985 Mr. Manabu Shiga, Commissioner of the Patent Office, Manufacturing method for optical fiber cables 3, Amendment person case Related: Patent Applicant Akio Kawasaki, 2-3-18 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (603), Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., President and CEO 5, Date of amendment order Voluntary amendment 6, ``Detailed description of the invention'' in the specification to be amended ” Column 7, Contents of amendment (1) “z” on page 4, line 8 of the specification is corrected to r2J. (2) "8'" on page 5, line 14 of the specification is r8j 11th
Tsu ψ.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In the manufacturing method of optical fiber cable, the periphery of the optical fiber is protected with reinforcing fibers and the outer layer is coated with plastic resin. A method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable, which comprises converging fibers into a spiral winding.