JP7622010B2 - Optical fiber ribbon winding body manufacturing method and manufacturing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon winding body.

In recent years, data traffic has increased dramatically due to the spread of the Internet of Things (IoT), the full-scale commercial launch of 5G, and autonomous driving, and there is growing global demand for the development and construction of high-speed, high-capacity optical fiber communication networks to support this traffic.
In particular, in Western countries, information and communication cables are often laid in underground ducts, and there are physical restrictions on the amount of space available for laying cables inside the ducts. In order to economically realize the development and construction of high-speed, large-capacity optical fiber communication networks in Western countries, there is a strong demand to reduce laying costs by introducing cables with higher optical fiber core density than conventional cables while still using existing ducts.

Patent Document 1 discloses an intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon for use in optical cables. The optical fiber ribbon is obtained through a process of forming a tape layer by applying a photocurable resin in a tape shape while transporting multiple single-coated optical fibers arranged in parallel, a process of curing the photocurable resin in the tape layer by irradiating it with light, a process of removing a part of the cured tape layer to intermittently form separation parts and connection parts, and a process of winding up the obtained optical fiber ribbon.

JP 2012-252197 A

In the winding process, the optical fiber ribbon is wound around a bobbin. At this time, the friction on the surface of the optical fiber ribbon is large, so the winding is likely to be uneven or disordered, and the winding condition is likely to deteriorate. For example, the winding is likely to bulge near the flange of the bobbin, and when the optical fiber ribbon is further wound around that part, the intermittent shape of the optical fiber ribbon that has risen up (for example, the intermittent shape formed by a plurality of separation parts and a plurality of connection parts) is likely to open up, or the optical fiber ribbons are likely to cross each other. As a result, there is a problem that locally non-uniform pressure is likely to be applied to the optical fiber ribbon, and transmission loss is likely to increase.
Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon winding body that can suppress deterioration of the winding condition of the optical fiber ribbon and suppress an increase in transmission loss.

In order to solve the above problem, according to one aspect of the present invention,
A step of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of single-coated optical fibers arranged in parallel are intermittently connected;
applying a lubricant to the optical fiber ribbon;
a step of winding the optical fiber ribbon to which the lubricant has been applied;
Including,
A method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon winding body is provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention,
a die for integrally coating a plurality of parallel-arranged mono-coated optical fibers with a ribbon resin layer;
a separation die that intermittently cuts the tape resin layer to form a plurality of connection portions that connect adjacent ones of the mono-coated optical fibers and a plurality of separation portions that separate adjacent ones of the mono-coated optical fibers;
a lubricant applying section that applies a lubricant to the optical fiber ribbon having the plurality of connection sections and the plurality of separation sections;
a winding section for winding the optical fiber ribbon to which the lubricant has been applied,
An apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon winding body is provided.

The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon winding body that can prevent deterioration of the winding shape of the optical fiber ribbon and prevent an increase in transmission loss.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an optical fiber ribbon. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 1. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of an optical fiber ribbon winding body manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the main configuration of the optical fiber ribbon manufacturing unit of FIG. 3 . 4 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon winding body. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a slotless optical cable. 1 is a graph showing an example of a measurement result of transmission loss by an OTDR device.

The following describes a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon winding body according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. First, the configuration of the optical fiber ribbon is described, and then the method and apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon winding body is described. In this specification, the lower and upper limits of the numerical ranges indicated by "~" are included in the numerical range.

[Optical fiber ribbon]
Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an optical fiber ribbon 1. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in Fig. 1.
1, the optical fiber ribbon 1 has a plurality of mono-coated optical fibers 2 arranged in parallel, a ribbon resin layer 4 that integrally coats these optical fibers, and a plurality of connecting portions 6 and a plurality of separating portions 8 formed on the ribbon resin layer 4. Here, a plurality of (four in FIG. 1) mono-coated optical fibers 2 are independently connected for each fiber, but they may also be connected in groups of two fibers.

The single-coated optical fiber 2 has a configuration in which an optical fiber strand 2a is coated in order with a primary coating layer 2b and a secondary coating layer 2c (see Figure 2).

The ribbon resin layer 4 integrally coats the plurality of mono-coated optical fibers 2, and has a plurality of connecting portions 6 and a plurality of separating portions 8 as described above (see FIG. 1).
The connecting portions 6 are portions that connect adjacent mono-coated optical fibers 2, and are provided intermittently in the length and width directions. The cross-sectional thickness c of the connecting portions 6 may be, for example, 0.10 to 0.27 mm. The outer diameter d of the optical fiber including the resin-coated portion of the tape resin layer 4 may be, for example, 0.26 to 0.29 mm. The length A of the connecting portions 6 in the longitudinal direction may be, for example, 35 to 45 mm. The periodic interval P of the connecting portions 6 in the longitudinal direction is, for example, 150 mm or less.
The separation portions 8 are portions that separate adjacent mono-coated optical fibers 2, and are provided intermittently in the length and width directions. When the separation portions 8 are viewed in the width direction, the separation portions 8 have non-connecting portions 8A where adjacent separation portions 8 overlap each other. The longitudinal length B of the separation portions 8 may be the same as or longer than the longitudinal length A of the connecting portion 6, and may be, for example, 95 to 105 mm.
The thickness c of the cross section of the connecting portion 6 is the average value of the measured values at five arbitrarily selected sites.
The outer diameter d of the optical fiber including the resin coating portion is the average value of approximate circle diameters measured at five arbitrarily selected portions using a microscope manufactured by Keyence Corporation.
Thereby, adjacent mono-coated optical fibers 2 are intermittently connected to or separated from each other in the longitudinal and width directions.

The tape resin layer 4 is mainly composed of a cured product of a photocurable resin, a cured product of a thermosetting resin, or a thermoplastic resin, preferably a cured product of a photocurable resin. The photocurable resin is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, an epoxy acrylate-based photocurable resin or a urethane acrylate-based photocurable resin.

[Apparatus and method for manufacturing optical fiber ribbon winding body]
(1) Manufacturing Apparatus for Winding Optical Fiber Ribbon Figure 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a manufacturing apparatus 10 for winding an optical fiber ribbon. Figure 4 is a diagram showing a main configuration of an optical fiber ribbon manufacturing section (a portion surrounded by a dashed line in Figure 3) in Figure 3.
As shown in FIG. 3, the optical fiber ribbon core winding body manufacturing apparatus 10 has, in order along the traveling direction A of the single-coated optical fiber 2, a supply unit 20, a tape die 30, a separating die 40, a light irradiation device 50, a take-up machine 60, a first lubricant application unit 70, an accumulator 80, a second lubricant application unit 90, and a winding unit 100.

The supply unit 20 supplies a plurality of single-coated optical fibers 2 by unwinding them from their respective bobbins. The unwound single-coated optical fibers 2 are transported via a guide roller R1 and aligned in a parallel row by a collection roller R2.

The tape die 30 is a general-purpose die that coats the periphery of multiple single-coated optical fibers 2 with a photocurable resin, which is a tape resin material. The tape die 30 applies uncured photocurable resin in a tape shape to the multiple single-coated optical fibers 2 that pass through it, forming a tape resin layer 4.

A plurality of separation needles 42, 44, 46 that can be raised and lowered are installed on the separation die 40 (three in FIG. 4). Each of the separation needles 42, 44, 46 is disposed above the mono-coated optical fibers 2, and the separation needle 44 in the center and the separation needles 42, 46 on both sides are alternately raised and lowered relative to the uncured photocurable resin, thereby intermittently forming a plurality of separation portions 8 and a plurality of connection portions 6.
A resin suction device 48 for sucking excess photocurable resin is installed on the separation die 40. The resin suction device 48 is configured to suck excess photocurable resin blocked by the downward movement of the separation needles 42, 44, and 46.

The light irradiation device 50 has an upstream light irradiation device 52 and a downstream light irradiation device 54 .
The upstream light irradiation device 52 irradiates the uncured photocurable resin with light, semi-curing the photocurable resin. "Semi-cured" refers to a state in which the resin is not completely cured, that is, the resin is partially cross-linked by light energy.
The downstream light irradiation device 54 further irradiates the semi-cured photocurable resin with light, so as to completely cure the photocurable resin. "Completely cured" means that the resin is completely or nearly completely cured, that is, the resin is completely or nearly completely crosslinked by light energy.
It is preferable that the integrated irradiation amount of the downstream light irradiation device 54 is greater than the integrated irradiation amount of the upstream light irradiation device 52 .
Thus, an optical fiber ribbon 1 is obtained in which a plurality of separation portions 8 and a plurality of connection portions 6 are formed. When a photocurable resin is not used as the ribbon resin layer 4, for example, when a thermoplastic resin is used, the light irradiation device 50 may not be required.

The take-up machine 60 takes up the optical fiber ribbon 1 transported by the guide roller R3. There are no particular limitations on the type of take-up machine 60, and it may be a capstan type or a belt type. In Figure 3, it is a belt type.

The first lubricant application unit 70 is disposed in front of the accumulator 80 in the traveling direction A of the optical fiber ribbon 1 (between the take-up machine 60 and the accumulator 80 in FIG. 3), and applies lubricant to the optical fiber ribbon 1. The first lubricant application unit 70 may be configured to be able to apply lubricant, and may be, for example, a die or a spray.

The accumulator 80 is a device for storing (storing) the optical fiber ribbon 1 when replacing the bobbin in the winding section 100, and is composed of, for example, multiple rollers. The accumulator 80 is disposed between the separation die 40 and the winding section 100 (between the take-up machine 60 and the winding section 100 in FIG. 3).

The second lubricant applicator 90 is disposed downstream of the accumulator 80 in the traveling direction A of the optical fiber ribbon 1 (between the accumulator 80 and the winding unit 100 in FIG. 3), and applies lubricant to the optical fiber ribbon 1 that has passed through the accumulator 80. The second lubricant applicator 90 may be the same as the first lubricant applicator 70.

The winding section 100 winds the optical fiber ribbon 1, which is transported by the guide roller R4, onto a bobbin. This results in an optical fiber ribbon winding body.

(2) Manufacturing Method of the Optical Fiber Ribbon Winder FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing method of the optical fiber ribbon winder according to one embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 5, the manufacturing method of the optical fiber tape core wire winding body includes a step of manufacturing the optical fiber tape core wire 1 (optical fiber tape core wire manufacturing step, step S1), a step of applying a lubricant to the optical fiber tape core wire 1 (first lubricant application step, step S2), a step of storing the optical fiber tape core wire 1 using an accumulator 80 (storage step, step S3), a step of applying a lubricant to the optical fiber tape core wire 1 (second lubricant application step, step S4), and a step of winding up the optical fiber tape core wire 1 to which the lubricant has been applied (winding step, step S5).
Each step will be described below with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG.

First, in the optical fiber ribbon manufacturing process (step S1), as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of mono-coated optical fibers 2 are unwound from respective bobbins, and arranged in a parallel row by a wire-collecting roller R2 via a guide roller R1.
Then, while the multiple mono-coated optical fibers 2 arranged in parallel are transported along the traveling direction A (the transport speed is preferably 60 to 300 m/min), first, an uncured photocurable resin, which is a tape resin material, is applied in a tape shape to the multiple mono-coated optical fibers 2 by a tape die 30 to form a tape resin layer 4. In this way, the multiple mono-coated optical fibers 2 are integrally coated with the tape resin layer 4. The tape resin material may further contain various additives as necessary, but does not substantially contain a lubricant.
Next, the separating needles 42, 44, 46 of the separating die 40 are raised and lowered relative to the tape resin layer 4 to intermittently form cuts in the tape resin layer 4. As a result, a plurality of separated portions 8 and a plurality of connecting portions 6 are formed in the tape resin layer 4.
Next, the tape resin layer 4 is irradiated with light by a light irradiation device 52 to semi-cure the uncured photocurable resin, and finally, the semi-cured photocurable resin is completely cured by further irradiating it with light by a light irradiation device 54. During these steps, the temperature of the tape die 30 is set higher than the temperature of the separating die 40. This results in an optical fiber ribbon 1 having a plurality of separating portions 8 and a plurality of connecting portions 6 formed therein. Note that if a photocurable resin is not used as the tape resin layer 4, the step of curing the photocurable resin may be omitted.

Next, in the first lubricant application step (step S2), the optical fiber ribbon 1 transported by the guide roller R3 and taken up by the take-up machine 60 is applied with a lubricant by the first lubricant application unit 70. Specifically, the lubricant is applied to the surface of the ribbon resin layer 4 of the optical fiber ribbon 1, particularly to the portion coated with the single-coated optical fiber 2.

The type of lubricant is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a silicone compound, a low molecular weight wax, or a solution obtained by diluting these with a solvent such as an alcohol solvent. Among these, a solution containing a silicone compound and an alcohol solvent is preferred, as it is easy to apply uniformly and can provide good slip properties. The concentration of the silicone compound in the solution is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of preventing derailment from the rollers or accumulator 80 during production and handling in subsequent processes, it is preferably 1% by mass or less, and more preferably 0.1 to 0.5% by mass. In this embodiment, the lubricant may be applied, for example, by a dripping device.

The amount of lubricant applied depends on the type of lubricant, but can be adjusted so that the total amount of lubricant applied in the entire manufacturing process is, for example, 0.6 to 3.0 mg/m. If the amount of lubricant applied is 0.6 mg/m or more, preferably 1.2 mg/m or more, the friction on the surface of the optical fiber ribbon 1 can be further reduced, resulting in a better winding condition of the winding body. If the amount of lubricant applied is 3.0 mg/m or less, derailment from the roller or accumulator 80 during manufacturing due to excessive slippage is unlikely to occur. Of these, the amount of lubricant applied in the first lubricant application process can be, for example, 0.3 to 1.5 mg/m. The amount of lubricant applied means the amount of non-volatile components (or active components) in the lubricant applied to the surface of the optical fiber ribbon 1.

Next, in the wire storage process (step S3), the optical fiber ribbon 1 coated with lubricant is retained and stored when the bobbin is replaced in the winding section 100. In the wire storage process, the optical fiber ribbon 1 passes through multiple rollers in succession, making it prone to twisting and force being applied, and the intermittent shape is prone to being destroyed. In this embodiment, the optical fiber ribbon 1 is coated with lubricant, reducing friction on the surface of the optical fiber ribbon 1 and providing appropriate slipperiness. This makes it possible to suppress destruction of the intermittent shape.

Next, in a second lubricant application step (step S 4 ), a second lubricant application unit 90 applies a lubricant to the optical fiber ribbon 1 that has passed through the accumulator 80 .
The type and amount of lubricant applied in the second lubricant application step may be the same as or different from the type and amount of lubricant applied in the first lubricant application step. In this embodiment, the type of lubricant applied in the second lubricant application step is the same as the type of lubricant applied in the first lubricant application step. The amount of lubricant applied in the second lubricant application step may be, for example, 0.3 to 1.5 mg/m, from the viewpoint of further suppressing deterioration of the winding state of the wound body.

Thereafter, in the winding process (step S5), the optical fiber ribbon 1, which has been transported by the guide roller R4 and has been coated with the lubricant, is wound around a bobbin by the winding section 100. In this way, an optical fiber ribbon winder is obtained.
The winding length of the optical fiber ribbon winder is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1,000 to 12,000 m.

According to the above embodiment, the optical fiber ribbon core wire manufacturing process (step S1), the process of applying a lubricant to the optical fiber ribbon (steps S2, S4), and the process of winding the optical fiber ribbon core wire coated with the lubricant (step S5) are included. As a result, the friction on the surface of the optical fiber ribbon core wire 1 is reduced and the optical fiber ribbon core wire has good slip properties, making it difficult for the winding to become erratic, and it is possible to suppress deterioration of the winding condition, such as the optical fiber ribbon core wire 1 riding up, opening of the intermittent shape, and crossing. As a result, it is possible to suppress an increase in the transmission loss of the optical fiber ribbon core wire caused by deterioration of the winding condition.

In particular, in this embodiment, the optical fiber ribbon 1 has a suitable slipperiness due to the first lubricant application process (step S2), which can suppress the destruction of the intermittent shape when passing through the accumulator 80, which has many rollers. Furthermore, the second lubricant application process (step S4) further increases the slipperiness of the optical fiber ribbon 1 immediately before winding, which makes winding more stable. Therefore, the optical fiber ribbon 1 can be wound evenly around the bobbin, which further suppresses the deterioration of the winding condition.

[Slotless optical cable]
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a slotless optical cable 120 using the optical fiber ribbon 1. As shown in FIG.
In the slotless optical cable 120, a plurality of optical fiber ribbons 1 are bundled and twisted together, and this is fixed by a winding 122. For example, twelve optical fiber ribbons 1 each having twelve cores are bundled together, six of these are twisted together, and the twisted body is fixed by the winding 122.
The roll 122 is preferably made of a water-absorbent nonwoven fabric, and more specifically, a water-absorbent polymer is laminated on the nonwoven fabric.
Polyethylene resin or the like is extruded onto the winding 122, and the winding 122 is covered with an outer sheath 124. Tension members 126 are provided on the top and bottom of the outer sheath 124, and rip cords 128 for tearing the outer sheath 124 are provided on the left and right sides of the tension members 126.

According to the above slotless optical cable 120, the tension members 126 are installed at the top and bottom in FIG. 6, so flexibility in the left-right direction is guaranteed, and workability can be improved when laying inside a duct. The rip cord 128 is also installed in a symmetrical position (180 degrees diagonally) in FIG. 6, so the outer jacket 124 can be easily peeled into two equal parts, improving workability when processing the cable terminals and when branching midway.

[Modification]
In the above embodiment, the plurality of mono-coated optical fibers 2 arranged in parallel are collectively coated with the tape resin layer 4, and then intermittently notched to produce the optical fiber ribbon 1 in which the plurality of mono-coated optical fibers are intermittently connected, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the plurality of mono-coated optical fibers 2 arranged in parallel may be intermittently coated with a connecting resin to produce an optical fiber ribbon in which the plurality of mono-coated optical fibers are intermittently connected. In this case, the optical fiber ribbon winder manufacturing apparatus 10 does not need to have the separating die 40.

In the above embodiment, in the method for manufacturing the optical fiber ribbon winding body, the lubricant application steps (steps S2 and S4) are performed at a plurality of positions in the traveling direction A of the optical fiber ribbon 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be performed at only one position in the traveling direction of the optical fiber ribbon 1. For example, only one of the first lubricant application step (step S2) and the second lubricant application step (step S4) may be performed.
In the above embodiment, the lubricant application steps (steps S2 and S4) are performed before and after the wire storage step (step S3), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the lubricant application steps may be performed at a plurality of positions in the traveling direction A of the optical fiber ribbon 1 after the wire storage step (step S3). The lubricant application steps are not limited to two positions in the traveling direction A, and may be performed at three or more different positions.

In the above embodiment, in the optical fiber ribbon core wire manufacturing process (step S1), the separation section 8 and the connection section 6 are formed by making cuts with the separation die 40. However, this is not limited to the above, and the separation section 8 and the connection section 6 may be formed by intermittently removing a portion of the tape resin layer 4 by laser irradiation or the like.

(1) Preparation of Samples (1.1) Optical Fiber Ribbon Winding Body Sample 1
First, a single-core coated optical fiber with an outer diameter of 250 μm was prepared, which had a silica glass-based SM optical fiber with an outer diameter of 125 μm and a primary coating made of a urethane acrylate-based photocurable resin with a Young's modulus of approximately 5 MPa at 23° C., and a secondary coating made of a urethane acrylate-based photocurable resin with a Young's modulus of approximately 700 MPa at 23° C.
Next, using a manufacturing device similar to that shown in Figures 3 and 4, 12 single-coated optical fibers (12 cores) were aligned in parallel, and a urethane acrylate photocurable resin (having a viscosity of 5.2 ± 0.5 Pa s before curing at 25°C and a Young's modulus of 550 MPa after curing) was applied to the single-coated optical fibers.
Next, the applied tape layer was irradiated with light to cure the photocurable resin, and the resulting optical fiber ribbon was then collected on a belt.
Next, 0.6 mg/m of a lubricant (a mixture of silicone and an alcohol solvent, concentration 0.2% by mass) was applied by a dripping device onto the surface of the optical fiber ribbon pulled out from the belt (take-off machine).
Next, the lubricant was dried while being transported, and then the wire was stored in an accumulator.
Thereafter, the optical fiber ribbon that had passed through the accumulator was wound around a bobbin with a winding tension of 300 gf to obtain a 12,000 m sample of the optical fiber ribbon.
The cross-sectional thickness c of the connection portion 6 of the manufactured optical fiber ribbon core was 0.18 mm, the outer diameter d of the optical fiber including the resin coating portion was 0.28 mm, the longitudinal length A of the connection portion 6 was 40 mm, the longitudinal length B of the separation portion 8 was 100 mm, and the longitudinal periodic interval P of the connection portion 6 was 140 mm.

(1.2) Optical fiber ribbon winding body sample 2
Optical fiber ribbon core wire winding body sample 2 was obtained in the same manner as optical fiber ribbon core wire winding body sample 1, except that after the optical fiber ribbon core wire stored in the accumulator was unwound and before being wound onto a bobbin, 0.6 mg/m of the above-mentioned lubricant was further applied using a dripping device.

(1.3) Optical fiber ribbon winding body sample 3
An optical fiber ribbon winding body sample 3 was obtained in the same manner as the optical fiber ribbon winding body sample 1, except that no lubricant was applied.

(2) Evaluation of Samples (2.1) Measurement of Transmission Loss Step Occurrence Rate With 12,000 m of optical fiber ribbon wound around a bobbin with a winding tension of 300 gf, one end was unwound from the bobbin and connected to an OTDR device (Optical Time Domain Reflectmeter, Yokogawa Electric AQ7280) via an exciter, and the optical loss was measured utilizing the phenomenon in which light that enters the optical fiber returns due to Rayleigh scattering, etc. (The measurement wavelength was 1,550 nm).
As a result, a graph was obtained with the optical level (dB) on the vertical axis and the distance (m) on the horizontal axis, as shown in Figure 7. If even one step (transmission loss step) in which the optical level suddenly dropped by 0.05 dB or more was found on the obtained graph, it was judged to be "stepped." A "sudden drop" means that a drop of 0.05 dB or more was observed in a section of about 1 cm.
The above measurement was carried out for 10 optical fiber ribbons 1, and the transmission loss step occurrence rate (%) was calculated based on the following formula. The measurement results are shown in Table 1.
Transmission loss step occurrence rate (%) = (number of optical fiber ribbons 1 with steps/10) x 100
In addition, in the above formula for the transmission loss step occurrence rate (%), "the number of optical fiber ribbons 1 in which a step occurred" is counted if a step occurred in even one of the 12 single-coated optical fibers.

(2.2) Measurement of Transmission Loss The optical loss was measured by the above method (the measurement wavelength was 1,550 nm).
The measurement results are shown in Table 1. In Table 1, "◎" indicates a measured value within 0.25 dB/km, "◯" indicates a measured value between 0.25 dB/km and 0.28 dB/km, and "×" indicates a measured value above 0.28 dB/km.

(3) Summary As shown in Table 1, in sample 3, the winding bulged up near the flange of the bobbin. In addition, the intermittent shapes of the optical fiber ribbon that ran over the bulged part were open or crossed, and the winding condition was poor. As a result, the occurrence rate of transmission loss steps was high, and the transmission loss was also large.
In contrast, Samples 1 and 2 did not show the above-mentioned deterioration in the winding state, and the winding state was good. As a result, the transmission loss step occurrence rate and transmission loss were also lower than those of Sample 3. This is thought to be because the application of the lubricant reduced friction on the surface of the optical fiber ribbon, reducing unevenness in the winding state and reducing riding up and crossing of the optical fiber ribbon.
In particular, it can be seen that the transmission loss step occurrence rate and the transmission loss are further reduced in Sample 2. This is believed to be because the process of applying the lubricant is performed at multiple positions on the winding body production line, which suppresses damage to the intermittent shape and further reduces friction on the surface of the optical fiber ribbon 1 immediately before winding, resulting in a more favorable winding state.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Optical fiber ribbon 2 Single-coated optical fiber 4 Ribbon resin layer 6 Connection section 8 Separation section 8A Non-connection section 10 Manufacturing device for optical fiber ribbon winding body 20 Supply section 30 Tape die 40 Separation die 42, 44, 46 Separation needle 48 Resin suction device 50 Light irradiation device 52 (Upstream side) light irradiation device 54 (Downstream side) light irradiation device 60 Take-up machine 70 First lubricant application section 80 Accumulator 90 Second lubricant application section 100 Winding section 120 Slotless type optical cable 122 Push winding 124 Outer jacket 126 Tension member 128 Ripcord

Claims (7)

A step of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of single-coated optical fibers arranged in parallel are intermittently connected;
applying a lubricant to the optical fiber ribbon;
storing the optical fiber ribbon coated with the lubricant in an accumulator;
a step of winding the optical fiber ribbon coated with the lubricant after the step of storing the optical fiber;
Including,
A method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon winding body. 2. The method for producing an optical fiber ribbon winding body according to claim 1,
The process for producing the optical fiber ribbon includes:
a step of integrally covering the plurality of mono-coated optical fibers with a ribbon resin layer;
a step of intermittently cutting the ribbon resin layer to form a plurality of connection portions that connect adjacent ones of the mono-coated optical fibers and a plurality of separation portions that separate adjacent ones of the mono-coated optical fibers;
Including,
A method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon winding body. A step of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of single-coated optical fibers arranged in parallel are intermittently connected;
applying a lubricant to the optical fiber ribbon;
a step of winding the optical fiber ribbon to which the lubricant has been applied;
Including,
the step of applying the lubricant is performed at a plurality of positions in the traveling direction of the optical fiber ribbon.
A method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon winding body. A step of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of single-coated optical fibers arranged in parallel are intermittently connected;
applying a lubricant to the optical fiber ribbon;
a step of winding the optical fiber ribbon to which the lubricant has been applied;
Including,
The method further includes a step of storing the optical fiber ribbon in an accumulator before the winding step,
The step of applying the lubricant is carried out before and after the step of storing the wire.
A method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon winding body. 3. The method for producing an optical fiber ribbon winding body according to claim 1,
The lubricant is a solution containing silicone and an alcohol solvent.
A method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon winding body. a die for integrally coating a plurality of parallel-arranged mono-coated optical fibers with a ribbon resin layer;
a separation device that intermittently cuts the ribbon resin layer to form a plurality of connection portions that connect adjacent ones of the mono-coated optical fibers and a plurality of separation portions that separate adjacent ones of the mono-coated optical fibers;
a lubricant applying section that applies a lubricant to the optical fiber ribbon having the plurality of connection sections and the plurality of separation sections;
a winding section for winding up the optical fiber ribbon to which the lubricant has been applied,
The optical fiber ribbon may further include an accumulator disposed between the separating device and the winding unit for storing the optical fiber ribbon.
the lubricant application unit is disposed in front of the accumulator in the traveling direction of the optical fiber ribbon.
This is an optical fiber ribbon winding body manufacturing device. 7. The optical fiber ribbon winding body manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6 ,
The optical fiber ribbon further includes a second lubricant application unit disposed downstream of the accumulator in a traveling direction of the optical fiber ribbon.
This is an optical fiber ribbon winding body manufacturing device.

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