Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
  • G02B6/4479—Manufacturing methods of optical cables
  • G02B6/4486—Protective covering
  • G02B6/4488—Protective covering using metallic tubes
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
  • G02B6/4479—Manufacturing methods of optical cables
  • G02B6/4484—Manufacturing methods of optical cables with desired surplus length between fibres and protection features

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method for producing an optical cable or a construction element for an optical cable according to the preamble of claim 1.
• DE 39 10 1 22 discloses a method for adjusting the excess length of an optical line containing at least one optical waveguide in relation to an envelope formed as a metal tube.
• the metal tube is pulled through a plastically deforming bending device and then straightened again.
• the idea on which this publication is based is that the limit of the elastic change in length under tensile loading is considerably higher than under compressive loading.
• the metal tube deforms only elastically in the outer region of curvature, but also plastically in the interior, so that there is a resulting shortening of the straightened metal tube.
• the excess length that can be achieved by this method is limited to less than 0.3%.
• the invention is based on the object of producing a method for producing a metal tube containing one or more optical waveguides, an almost any excess length of the optical waveguide being achievable relative to the metal tube.
• FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of part of a according to the teaching of
• the optical cable 1 consists of the optical fibers 2 and the metal tube 3 surrounding the optical fibers 2, which has a longitudinal weld 3a.
• the free space between the optical fibers 2 and the metal tube 3 can be filled with a so-called petroleum jelly in order to prevent longitudinal water migration.
• the number of optical fibers 2 is usually between 6 and 20, but can be up to 144.
• the metal tube 3 has a helical corrugation 3b, through which the metal tube 3 is shortened compared to the smooth tube.
• the optical waveguides 2 have a greater length than the metal tube 3, that is to say they run in a wave, helix or sinusoidal shape in the metal tube 3.
• the excess length can be up to 5%, but is preferably between 0.5 and 1%.
• the wall thickness S of the metal tube is z. B. 1 mm while its outer diameter is 6 mm.
• Aluminum is preferred as the material for the metal tube 3.
• FIG. 2 shows a side view of a device for carrying out the method according to the invention.
• a tape 5 is continuously drawn off from a supply reel 4 and fed to a shaping device 6, in which the tape 5 is formed into a tube with a longitudinal slot.
• Part of this shaping device 6 is an untrimmed trimming device in which the band 5 is cut exactly to the required width.
• the shaping device 6 also consists of a plurality of sets of shaping rolls, not specified.
• the longitudinal slot of the shaped tube is closed by means of a laser welding device 7.
• a first clamping jaw trigger 8 which consists of a plurality of pairs of clamping jaws comprising the tube, is driven by an endless chain. Behind the first jaw trigger 8 is a pipe reducing device 9 z. B. arranged a drawing die in which the diameter of the tube is reduced.
• a second clamping jaw trigger 10 is arranged behind the pipe reducing device 9, which engages the drawn pipe and pulls it through the drawing die.
• the withdrawal speed of the second Sp ⁇ nnb ⁇ cken ⁇ bzuges 10 is regulated in relation to the pull-off speed of the first Sp ⁇ nnb ⁇ cken ⁇ bzuges 8 depending on the sag of the tube between the drawing die and the first clamping jaw pull-off 8.
• Behind the second clamping jaw trigger 10 is a driven trigger disc 11 on the circumferential surface of which the tube rests with several turns. The trigger disc 11 is driven at a trigger speed which is equal to the trigger speed of the second jaw trigger 10.
• a drain device for a plurality of optical fibers 2 is designated, which is equipped with a plurality of coils 15, on which the optical fibers 2 are wound.
• the optical fibers 2 are withdrawn from the coils 15 and inserted into the still open tube in front of the welding device.
• a stationary metal tube projects into the slotted tube, through the interior of which the optical waveguide 2 is guided.
• the metal tube releases the optical waveguide 2 at the earliest behind the welding device 7.
• the metal tube is surrounded by another metal tube in a concentric arrangement.
• a petroleum jelly is filled into the tube under pressure through the annular gap formed by the two concentric metal tubes.
• the length of the optical waveguide 2 and the length of the metal pipe 3 are of the same size.
• a corrugation device 16 is arranged behind the pull-up washer 11, which presses a corrugation into the wall of the tube in a continuous manner of operation.
• the excess length of the optical waveguide 2 depends on the depth of the corrugation and the slope of the corrugation.
• a beading device can also be provided, which forms several beads in the tube wall, several beads in the circumferential direction form a closed bead.
• the excess length depends on the depth or shape of the bead and on the spacing of the beads from one another. The excess length can be set precisely in the method according to the invention.
• a further collet trigger can be provided in front of the corrugating device.
• the speed of the corrugating device 16 or the crimping device can be regulated by dancers arranged in front of and / or behind the corrugating device 16.
• the finished metal tube 13 with the optical fibers 2 therein is finally wound onto a winding drum 12.
• the metal tube is corrugated and corrugated in the same operation as the manufacture of the tube.
• FIG. 3 shows a particularly advantageous application example for an optical element which is produced according to the teaching of the invention.
• the figure shows a particularly inexpensive to manufacture underground cable, in which a slightly corrugated aluminum tube 17 is arranged in the center of the underground cable, in which there are up to 144 optical fibers 2 with an excess length of at least 0.5%.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Optical Fibers, Optical Fiber Cores, And Optical Fiber Bundles (AREA)
• Light Guides In General And Applications Therefor (AREA)
• Manufacturing Of Electric Cables (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=7910664

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (6)

Citations (7)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 1999
  • 1999-06-09 DE DE19926267A patent/DE19926267A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2000
  • 2000-05-17 DE DE50000333T patent/DE50000333D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-05-17 AT AT00938821T patent/ATE221673T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-05-17 BR BR0006674-5A patent/BR0006674A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-05-17 US US09/762,436 patent/US6522815B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-05-17 KR KR1020017001677A patent/KR100796902B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-05-17 ES ES00938821T patent/ES2177514T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-05-17 JP JP2001503552A patent/JP2003502692A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 2000-05-17 WO PCT/EP2000/005931 patent/WO2000077552A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 2000-05-17 EP EP00938821A patent/EP1103013B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (7)

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