JPS62192701A - Optical fiber having good light leakage characteristic - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide substantial light leakage, to obviate the decrease of mechanical strength and to provide the durability which compares favorably with the durability of the conventional optical fibers by forming the section of a light leaking part to a fine groove-like notched part and smoothing the surface thereof. CONSTITUTION:Many pieces of the optical fibers are arrayed like a sheet and are fixed by an adhesive agent. These fibers are bundled at one end and are positioned to face a light source 2. Such fiber product 1 is formed with the light leaking parts in a crossing or zigzag state. The notched part 10A having the fine groove-like section forming the light leaking part has the surface smoother than the surface formed by surface roughening. The term 'fine groove- like' refers to the groove having the depth (l) approximately equal to the width (w) or the depth (l) larger than the width, which depth l is set approximately 10-70% of the diameter of the optical fiber 10. The light leaking parts consisting of the fine groove-like notched parts 10A having the smooth surface are formed in the above-mentioned manner, the light leakage characteristic is excellent and the luminance attenuation of light transmission is not extremely small. The decrease of the mechanical strength is suppressed as well.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention is applicable to displays, interior decoration, accessories +7-5
JK four used as lighting materials or handicraft materials: N!
, m5M4-#ffE$/”4ttl+4Ukl/F
lllff,, J-74M4j.

(Prior art) There are two conventional methods for forming light leakage parts on the side surfaces of optical fibers: 1. Creating fine bends in optical fibers by using woven or knitted fabrics, and 2. The following methods are known: (1) making fine powder collide with the side surface of the optical fiber; and (2) damaging the side surface of the optical fiber with a knife.
(See No. 42534).

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in any of the above methods, physical damage is caused to the optical fiber, and the fiber tl.
- It is easy to deform and cause strain, which may lead to a decrease in mechanical strength, and may also cause discoloration of light leaking parts. In addition, when the light leakage part is formed by the above methods ① to ③, the light leakage is severe in the area close to the light source, and it is necessary to sufficiently illuminate the length or area of the light source.
lx r J-fry $ -") + - (Means for solving the problems ft) The present invention has been made to solve all the above problems, and the optical fiber or the like is attached to the side surface of the textile product. A light leakage device in which a light leakage portion is formed, and the base of the nucleus is a cutout portion with a narrow groove-like cross section, and the surface of the cutout portion is a smooth surface. The first invention provides an optical fiber with good properties, and a light leakage part is formed on the side surface of the optical fiber or its iIR bond product, and the light leakage part extends continuously along the fiber axis. A second optical fiber with good light leakage, characterized in that the cross section has a groove-shaped cutout, and the cutout has a smooth surface.
The purpose is to make it an invention.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below.

Figures 1 and 2 show an example in which the first invention of the present invention is applied to a sheet-like fiber product.
) are arranged in a sheet shape and fixed with adhesive. In these examples, one end (1A) is focused and the light source (2
). These fiber products (11) have transverse or zigzag light leakage parts, and the fifth factor and FIG. 4 clearly show these light leakage parts.

In other words, (10A) in the figure is a cutout with a thin groove-like cross section forming a light leakage portion, and this surface is smoother than the roughened surface described above. Note that the narrow groove shape here refers to a groove in which the width W and the depth t are approximately the same or the depth t is larger in FIG. It is set to approximately 10 to 70 inches with respect to the diameter of. Further, the width W at this time cannot be determined unconditionally depending on the thickness of the fiber, but it is generally around α1 to α5■.

Figures 5 to 7 show examples of the second invention of the present invention. Figure 6 shows an example in which the light leakage part is formed continuously for a long time, and Figure 7 shows an example in which the light leakage part is formed intermittently. Continuous and proportional. The light leakage portion in these examples is also the same as in the first invention, and as shown in FIG. 7, the cutout portion (10A) with a thin groove-like cross section and a smooth surface is attached to the fiber axis of the optical fiber (10). It is formed to extend along the The width and depth of this cutout (10A) may preferably be made slightly smaller than in the case of the above example, or else there is no particular change.

The embodiments of the first invention and the second invention of the present invention have been described above, but since these optical fibers and textile products have a unique @ base part, sufficient light leakage can be achieved from the missing part. In particular, in the case of the second invention, light is leaked along the longitudinal direction, and the surface of the cutout is smooth, there is no decrease in mechanical strength, and the durability is comparable.

It is very convenient to form such a light leakage part using laser light. The formation method will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10.

That is, Fig. 8 shows the first invention of the present invention, a processing device that can be used to obtain money, and (3) is the tip of the laser processing device.This tip (3) is bent at a right angle. Guide tube (
31), a nine-reflection mirror (32) installed at this corner, a condenser lens C55), an assist gas supply port (54), and an exit port (35), and an oscillator (not shown).
Laser light from the machine is used to irradiate textile products (
1) Place the laser beam (L) on the light leakage area and the panned area.
When irradiated with k, a defect with a smooth surface is formed.

Laser light is particularly advantageous because its spot diameter can be adjusted and it can be narrowed down to a fine spot.

FIG. 9 shows a processing apparatus for obtaining the second invention of the present invention, and the configuration of the tip of the laser processing apparatus is not particularly different from the example shown in FIG. 8 above. The optical fiber (10) in a monofilament state is different in terms of the treatment method and the moving device (5). In other words, this moving device (5) is an optical fiber (
It consists of a bobbin (51) for winding the optical fiber (10), a guide tube (52) having a hole (52A) as shown in FIG. 10, and a winding bobbin (53). The laser beam (L) is continuously or intermittently irradiated through the guide tube (52) through the hole (52A) of the guide tube (52) as shown in FIG. 5 or 6. A cutout (, 10A) is formed. The cutout portion (10A) in this case also has a smooth surface. Note that if a mechanism for twisting the optical fiber (10) is incorporated in the moving device (51 of FIG. 9), a spirally continuous cutout can be formed.

The optical fibers that can be used in the present invention are particularly limited to t'
L is not suitable, but plastic optical fibers with good flexibility and workability are suitable. Furthermore, the textile products are not limited to the T-sheet-like ones shown in the drawings, but include optical fibers alone or mixed with other yarns, two-knit woven fabrics, two meters long, ropes, and the like.

(Example 1) The core is made of acrylic resin, the sheath is made of fluorine resin, and the diameter is [15 m].
A fiber product made by using 30 acrylic optical fibers and fixing them with an adhesive into a sheet with a thickness of α52 m was processed using a laser processing device shown in FIG. At this time, all CO lasers were used, and the output conditions were as follows.

Laser output: 10W Extraction beam diameter: 12wtxφ focal length of condensing lens 2575 inches Assist gas: Air Air movement speed: 10m/min The obtained leather fiber product has a sheet TL-light leakage section transversely as shown in Figure 1. The cutout is formed continuously and becomes a roughly U-shaped groove with a width of 11 to α2s+.
, the depth reaches 20 to 40 degrees of the diameter, and the surface is smooth. When this sheet-like textile product is illuminated from one end as shown in Figure 1, clear light leakage is observed at the defective part, and the light reaches the other end as well.
A friend.

(Example 2) The same sheet-like textile product as in Example 1 was treated using the same equipment sound as in Example 1 and under different conditions.

Laser output 10W (average) Pulse wave: Duty ratio 10%, Number of revolutions 100 Hz Focus lens of optical center Silver*: 575 inches Assist gas: Air Air movement speed ': 10 m/min In this example, the It is processed with a pulse wave to form a zigzag-like light leakage part, and the U-shaped depth is α2 to αBm.
Defects with a smooth specific surface and dotted with grooves of W degree were formed.

(Example 3) Using the same acrylic optical fiber as in Example 1, which had a diameter of 1 inch, it was treated using Co and laser processing equipment as shown in FIG. The laser output conditions at this time were as follows, and a copper guide tube with a length of 300 m was used.

Laser output = 18W Extraction beam diameter: 8smφ Focal length of condensing lens: 25 inches Assist gas: Air Air movement speed: 50m/min
The width of the missing part is a2~[131m, and the depth is α2~a3Il.
The V-shaped groove of II had a smooth surface and was formed along the fiber axis.

When light is incident on one end of this optical fiber, a sufficiently bright light leakage section is formed in the longitudinal direction, making it extremely unique.

(Example 4) Using the same optical fiber and processing device ili as in Example 3,
Processed under the following conditions.

Laser output: 15W (average) pulse wave
: Duty ratio 15 focal length of condensing lens:
ZS inch Assist gas: air Air movement speed: 20 m/min The optical fiber obtained had cutouts or dots formed at intervals of about 2 mm, but the grooves were similar to those in Example 3. Ha,
The depth was also a little large. However, the defect was smooth.

(Effects of the Invention) Since the present invention has the structure as described in detail above, the light leakage portion is formed of a groove-like cutout portion with a smooth surface, so that the light leakage property is excellent. It has the advantage that the brightness attenuation of optical transmission is not extremely small, and furthermore, a decrease in mechanical strength can be suppressed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views showing examples of text using the textile product of the present invention as a lighting material, Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the part ■ in Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a side view of Figure 3; 5 and 6 are perspective views showing examples of the present invention applied to optical fibers, FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of FIG. An explanatory diagram of the apparatus shown in FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a tubular jig suspended in the apparatus shown in FIG. 9. (10A)...-Deletion (2
)...Original procedural amendment June 7, 1986

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A light leakage portion is formed on the side surface of an optical fiber or a fiber product thereof, and the light leakage portion is a groove-shaped cutout in cross section. An optical fiber with good light leakage, characterized by a smooth removed surface. 2. A light leakage portion is formed on the side surface of an optical fiber or a fiber product thereof, and the light leakage portion extends continuously along the fiber axis and has a groove-like cutout in cross section. 1. An optical fiber with good light leakage, characterized in that the cutout portion has a smooth surface.