Intermittent bonding ribbon for optical cable and manufacturing apparatus therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable. The intermittent bonding ribbon is characterized in that: the individual optical fibers all have the same diameter; the diameter (L) of the individual optical fibers is equal to the center-to-center distance (S) between adjacent optical fibers; multiple bonding parts are formed only in grooves on one surface of the intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, and when the optical fibers are viewed in plane, are spaced apart and patterned repetitively in the lengthwise and widthwise direction of the optical fibers; the multiple bonding parts all have the same length; the interval between each pair of adjacent bonding parts on a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the optical fibers is uniform; the offset interval between each pair of neighboring bonding parts located adjacent to any one of the bonding parts in the width direction is uniform; the offset interval, which is the longitudinal interval between the neighboring bonding parts, exceeds zero; and the multiple bonding parts have different distances from vertical barcode lines marked on the optical fibers.

Description

Intermittent splicing ribbons and manufacturing equipment for optical cables

[0001] The present invention relates to an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, in which a plurality of optical fibers arranged in a parallel direction are intermittently bonded in a flat ribbon shape to have flexibility in bending in the width direction.

[0002] In general, optical cables are in constant demand for building ultra-high-speed transmission networks because they have a larger bandwidth and are lighter and smaller in volume than copper cables.

[0003] Recently, with the spread of 5G communication technology and the increase in data centers, high-density optical cables with a large number of optical fibers per unit area are in demand.

[0004] Meanwhile, the optical cable may have a cable core composed of a plurality of optical fibers inside a cable jacket, and the cable core may be configured to include a plurality of optical units grouped in a certain unit.

[0005] The optical unit has a form in which a number of optical fibers are assembled by a tube or a liner that binds the outer surface, and the optical unit may also be configured to include a ribbon that forms a single transmission unit with a number of optical fibers.

[0006] Ribbon is a term referring to an optical fiber transmission unit in which a certain number of optical fiber strands, such as 4, 6, or 12, are arranged transversely and combined in the form of a flat ribbon. Conventional ribbons were generally manufactured by coating the outer peripheries of multiple optical fiber strands arranged in a transverse / parallel direction.

[0007] Conventional ribbons manufactured in this way have a flat ribbon shape, so when manufacturing an optical fiber unit by arranging a plurality of ribbons in a tube, the ribbons have a rectangular cross-section with the ribbons stacked on top of each other, which creates a significant gap inside the optical cable, which usually has a circular cross-section, and thus has the disadvantage of increasing the overall diameter.

[0008] To solve this problem, a flexible ribbon for optical cables has been proposed that has a basic structure of a flat ribbon shape that is bundled into a certain number of transmission units, while also having flexibility in the direction of the ribbon width to minimize gaps in the assembled state.

[0009] The above ribbon may take the form of a plurality of optical fibers rolled up in the width direction and arranged in parallel, and may be accommodated in a tube constituting the optical unit or may be bound in a collected state.

[0010] At this time, the plurality of optical fibers have a configuration in which they are intermittently bonded to each other by a bonding material so that they can be easily rolled in the width direction or the ribbon unit can be firmly maintained even in a rolling state.

[0011] However, if various factors such as the bonding area, bonding position, and bonding interval between optical fibers by the bonding material are not mutually optimized and set, there is a problem in which the rolling process is difficult due to the bonding strength of each optical fiber, or conversely, the intermittently bonded optical fibers become scattered, making the stripping / bonding operation difficult.

[0012] To elaborate, if the bonding area increases or the bonding gap becomes tight due to excessive use of the bonding material, the bonding strength between the optical fibers can be increased, but the rolling process becomes difficult. Conversely, reducing the bonding area due to the bonding material or increasing the bonding gap can facilitate the rolling process of the optical fibers, but the individual fiber strands become separated, making stripping / splicing difficult.

[0013] Accordingly, the applicant of the present invention developed the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a related prior art document is Japanese Patent No. 6657976 entitled 'Intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon and optical cable'.

[0014] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, which is configured to have lateral flexibility and to appropriately maintain a dense state between optical fibers in a bonded state, thereby improving the convenience of stripping / bonding operations, by means of a patterned bonding portion that intermittently connects a plurality of optical fibers.

[0015] The present invention relates to an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, comprising a plurality of optical fibers arranged in a parallel direction and a plurality of joints formed in valleys formed between the plurality of optical fibers to intermittently bond the plurality of optical fibers in a parallel direction, wherein the diameters of the individual optical fibers of the intermittent bonding ribbon including a core, a clad layer and an outer layer are all the same, the diameters (L) of the individual optical fibers and the center-to-center distances (s) between adjacent optical fibers are the same, and the plurality of joints are formed only in valleys on one surface of the intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable so that, when the optical fibers are viewed in a plan view, they are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the optical fibers and are repeatedly patterned, and the lengths of the plurality of joints are all the same, and the intervals between two adjacent joints in a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the optical fibers are all the same, and the offset intervals between any one of the joints and the neighboring joints positioned adjacent in the width direction are the same, and the offset intervals, which are the longitudinal intervals of the neighboring joints, exceed 0, and the plurality of joints are mutually aligned with vertical barcode lines marked on the optical fibers. It can have different distances.

[0016] In addition, the joint can be formed on one surface of the optical fiber by at least two nozzle units including a plurality of nozzles having a structure in which n-1 nozzles are arranged in a parallel direction to eject a joint resin in an inkjet manner between n optical fibers (n is an integer greater than or equal to 2) arranged in a parallel direction.

[0017] In addition, in the nozzle unit, the distance (q) between adjacent nozzles among at least two or more nozzles arranged in a parallel direction is an integer multiple of the center-to-center distance (s) between optical fibers, and 2s≤q≤6s, and the distance q between adjacent nozzles in all the nozzle units is the same, and when the number of nozzle units is m (m is an integer greater than or equal to 2), n / m has an integer value greater than or equal to 2 in relation to the number n of optical fibers, and the at least two or more nozzle units are spaced apart along the longitudinal direction on the transport path of the intermittent bonding ribbon for optical cables transported in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber, and are arranged on top of the intermittent bonding ribbon for optical cables so as to be spaced apart by an integer multiple of the center-to-center distance (s) of the optical fibers along the width direction of the intermittent bonding ribbon for optical cables, so as to form the plurality of joints under set conditions.

[0018] Additionally, the formation length of the above joint may be greater than 15 mm and less than or equal to 20 mm.

[0019] In addition, the distance between two adjacent joints arranged in a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber may be 30 mm to 50 mm, and the distance between one longitudinal end of a joint arranged in a straight line among the plurality of joints and one longitudinal end of another adjacent joint may be more than 45 mm and less than 70 mm.

[0020] In addition, the offset interval, which is the interval between one of the plurality of joints and one end of the longitudinal direction of the joints arranged adjacently in the width direction, may be half the length of the joint.

[0021] In addition, the number of joints on a width-direction cross-section at any position perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the intermittent joint ribbon composed of the plurality of optical fibers may be at least 2 and at most 4.

[0022] Additionally, the joint may have a position higher than the center (P) of the optical fiber and lower than the top end of the optical fiber based on the cross-section of the optical fiber.

[0023] In addition, the plurality of optical fibers in the intermittent bonding ribbon for the optical cable include a coating layer coated with pigments of different colors, the diameter of the optical fiber including the coating layer is 250 μm±5 μm, and the center-to-center distance between adjacent optical fibers among the plurality of optical fibers may be the same as the diameter of the optical fiber.

[0024] Meanwhile, a manufacturing device for an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable according to the present invention may include: a supply unit that supplies a plurality of optical fibers including pigment coating layers of different colors, each of which is wound on a plurality of pay-off drums; an alignment unit that arranges a plurality of optical fibers drawn from the supply unit in a parallel direction so that the width is a multiple of the number of optical fibers n with respect to the diameter (L) of the optical fibers; a bonding resin discharge unit that includes n-1 or more nozzles that discharge a photocurable bonding resin formed on an upper portion of a transport means that transfers the optical fibers aligned in the longitudinal direction to intermittently connect the optical fibers aligned in the parallel direction, thereby forming a plurality of bonding units between the optical fibers; a light irradiation curing unit that cures and bonds the bonding resin intermittently discharged in the longitudinal and width directions of the optical fibers aligned by the bonding resin discharge unit; and an analysis unit that inspects an optical fiber that has passed through the light irradiation curing unit.

[0025] In addition, the bonding resin discharge unit has at least two nozzle units composed of at least two nozzles arranged in a parallel direction, and in each nozzle unit, the spacing q between adjacent nozzles of the at least two nozzles arranged in a parallel direction is an integer multiple of the center-to-center distance s of the optical fibers, such that 2s≤q≤6s, and the spacing q between adjacent nozzles in all the nozzle units is the same, and when the number of the nozzle units is m (m is an integer greater than or equal to 2), n / m has an integer value greater than or equal to 2 in relation to the number n of the optical fibers, and the plurality of nozzle units can be arranged on the upper portion of the intermittent bonding ribbon for optical cables, spaced apart along the length direction on the transport path of the intermittent bonding ribbon for optical cables that is transported in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber, and spaced apart by an integer multiple of the center-to-center distance s of the adjacent optical fibers along the width direction.

[0026] In addition, the light irradiation curing unit may be configured to include a first light irradiation unit positioned downstream of each of the nozzle units spaced apart along the longitudinal direction on the transport path of the intermittent bonding ribbon for the optical cable, and a second light irradiation unit positioned downstream of the first light irradiation unit positioned furthest downstream.

[0027] The intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable according to the present invention provides a structure in which a plurality of bonding portions are patterned based on optimized lengths, intervals, and positions and formed on an optical fiber, thereby improving the lateral flexibility of optical fibers arranged in a parallel direction to facilitate rolling, and further enabling optical fibers in a rolled state to firmly maintain their shape.

[0028] In addition, the intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable according to the present invention enables the ends of optical fibers cut in the width direction to be connected by three or four bonding portions, thereby preventing each strand of the optical fibers from flowing separately, thereby enabling a worker to easily perform stripping / bonding work of the optical fibers.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ribbon illustrated in Fig. 1 viewed from the front.

[0031] Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the longitudinal side of the ribbon illustrated in Fig. 1.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 5 is a plan view showing the arrangement relationship of a nozzle unit and a first light irradiation unit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] The advantages and features of the present invention and the method for achieving them will become clear with reference to the embodiments described in detail below together with the attached drawings.

[0035] However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be expressed in various different forms, and these embodiments are provided only to make the disclosure of the present invention complete and to fully inform a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0036] Hereinafter, an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. In describing the present invention, specific descriptions of related known functions or configurations are omitted to avoid obscuring the gist of the invention.

[0037] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ribbon illustrated in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front, FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of one longitudinal side of the ribbon illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the arrangement relationship of a nozzle unit and a first light irradiation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, it may include a plurality of optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction; and a plurality of joints (20) formed in an upper groove formed between the plurality of optical fibers (10) to intermittently join the plurality of optical fibers (10) in a parallel direction.

[0039] First, the plurality of optical fibers (10) can be coated with pigments of different colors to express different colors so that they can be easily identified.

[0040] Meanwhile, the diameter of the optical fiber (10) coated with pigment may be approximately 250 μm, and the diameter of the optical fiber (10) prior to the formation of the coating layer coated with pigment may be approximately 245 μm, including the core, cladding, and outer protective layer.

[0041] Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the diameters (L) of a plurality of optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction may all be the same. Additionally, the diameters (L) of the optical fibers (10) and the center-to-center distance (s) of the optical fibers (10) may also be the same.

[0042] In this way, it is preferable that a plurality of optical fibers (10) are arranged in parallel so that the diameter (L) of the optical fibers (10) and the center-to-center distance (s) of each optical fiber (10) are the same, and are in close contact without a gap between the optical fibers.

[0043] For reference, in one embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, 12 optical fibers (10) are arranged in a parallel direction to form a ribbon (100), but this is not limited thereto. For example, 12 or more or fewer optical fibers (10) may be arranged in a parallel direction to form a ribbon (100).

[0044]

[0045] The above multiple joints (20) can be composed of various known joint resins and can be formed only in the grooves formed on the upper surfaces of optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction.

[0046] By forming the bonding resin joint (20) only on one side of the upper surface, rolling flexibility in one direction can occur more smoothly.

[0047] That is, the joint (20) can be formed in a process in which the joint resin is injected into the groove formed between the optical fibers (10) and then cured. At this time, since the optical fibers are in close contact, the joint resin discharged from the upper side by the manufacturing device according to the characteristic configuration of the present invention, which will be described later, can form a structure in which it is located in the groove of the upper surface, but does not flow down.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 1, when the optical fibers (10) are arranged in a parallel direction and viewed from a plane, a plurality of joints (20) can be spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal and width directions of the optical fibers (10) and can be patterned repeatedly in a diagonal direction.

[0049] In detail, in the area A illustrated in FIG. 1, 11 patterned joints (10) are arranged in a diagonal direction, and in this way, the 11 patterned joints (10) can be repeatedly formed along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber (10).

[0050] At this time, among the plurality of joints (20), the longitudinal ends of the joints (20) spaced apart in the width direction of the optical fiber (10) can be patterned to have different distances from the vertical barcode line (BL) marked on the optical fiber (10).

[0051] That is, since the plurality of joints (20) are formed by being patterned in a diagonal direction, it can be said that the distances spaced apart from the vertical barcode line (BL) illustrated in FIG. 1 are each different. In particular, according to the specifications of the joints (20) of the present invention, which will be described later, the offset distance from the adjacent joints (20) is also limited to a specific value, so that not only each of the 11 joints (10) arranged in the A area of ​​FIG. 1, but also all of the joints (20) existing in the ribbon can be set to have different distances from the vertical barcode line (BL).

[0052] The reason for forming the joint (20) under the above conditions is to maintain the bonding force between the plurality of optical fibers (10) by interconnecting them in a net-like shape when the 12 optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction are spread out in the width direction, and also to enable the plurality of optical fibers (10) to be flexibly rolled in the width direction.

[0053] In addition, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the lengths (d1) of the plurality of joints (20) may be the same. For example, the length (d1) of the joints (20) is preferably set to be greater than 15 mm and less than or equal to 20 mm, and more preferably 17 mm is suitable.

[0054] In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, among the plurality of joints (20), the distance (d2) between two joints (20) adjacent in a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber (10) is all the same, and is preferably set to be greater than 30 mm and less than 50 mm, and more preferably 35 mm.

[0055] In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the distance (d3) between one longitudinal end of a joint (20) arranged in a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber (10) among a plurality of joints (20) and one longitudinal end of another adjacent joint (20) is preferably set to be greater than 45 mm and less than 70 mm, and more preferably, it is suitably set to be 52 mm.

[0056] That is, the above spacing (d3) can be set to a value that is the sum of the length (d1) of the joint (20) and the length of the spacing (d2) between two adjacent joints (20) on a straight line of the optical fiber (10), which corresponds to the pitch in the straight direction of the joint (20).

[0057] And, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the offset interval (d4), which is the longitudinal interval between any one joint (20) among a plurality of joints (20) and the adjacent joint (20) positioned adjacent to the joint (20) in the width direction, can be said to be the same.

[0058] At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the offset interval (d4), which is the interval between one longitudinal end of one joint (20) among a plurality of joints (20) and one longitudinal end of another joint (20) arranged adjacently in the width direction, may be set to half the length of the joint (20).

[0059] For example, when the length (d1) of the joint (20) is 17 mm, the offset interval (d4) can be set to 8.5 mm.

[0060] As described above, since the longitudinal ends of the joints (20) spaced apart in the width direction of the optical fiber (10) among the plurality of joints (20) are patterned to have different distances from the vertical barcode line (BL) marked on the optical fiber (10), a gap cannot but be formed between the longitudinal ends of the joints (20) arranged adjacently in the width direction among the plurality of joints (20), and this gap can be set to half of the formed length of the joints (20). Accordingly, the offset gap (d4) between the longitudinal ends of the joints (20) arranged adjacently in the width direction among the plurality of joints (20) can be set to half of the length of the joints (20).

[0061]

[0062] Meanwhile, when the length (d1) of the joint (20) is less than 15 mm, the bonding strength decreases, and when it exceeds 20 mm, the flexibility of the ribbon decreases.

[0063] At this time, if the spacing (d2) of the joints (20) arranged on the same line is set to 30 mm or less, the number of joints (20) per unit length of the optical fiber (10) increases, so the mutual bonding force between the optical fibers (10) can increase. However, there is a problem that the multiple joints (20) interfere with each other excessively in the process of rolling the multiple optical fibers (10) in the width direction.

[0064] Conversely, if the spacing (d2) of joints (20) arranged on the same line is set to 50 mm or more, the number of joints (20) per unit length of the optical fiber (10) decreases, so that a plurality of optical fibers (10) can be easily rolled in the width direction. However, there is a problem in that the mutual bonding structure between the plurality of optical fibers (10) becomes loose, and the 12-strand optical fiber (10) ribbon ends or cut portions become excessively disordered.

[0065] Moreover, the length and spacing of the above-described joint (20), and the offset distance between adjacent optical fiber joints to be described later, etc., have the meaning of a combined configuration as a standard that simultaneously satisfies the width-wise flexibility of the ribbon, prevention of breakage of the joint, and prevention of disorder for convenience of connection work at the cut end of the ribbon.

[0066] The reason for setting the length (d1) of the joint (20), the interval (d2) between two adjacent joints (20), the interval (d3) between the longitudinal ends of two adjacent joints (20), and the offset interval (d4) under the conditions described above is to maintain the bonding force between the plurality of optical fibers (10) so that when 12 strands of optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction are spread out in the width direction, they are interconnected in a net-like shape, and also to enable the plurality of optical fibers (10) to be flexibly rolled in the width direction.

[0067] If multiple joints (20) are formed at the same location in the width direction, flexibility in the width direction is reduced, and cases in which the joints (20) are damaged and disassembled during the rolling process due to overlapping sections may occur at multiple points.

[0068] However, if the joints are positioned too far apart (for example, only one joint is formed on the cross-section in the width direction), the optical fibers may become excessively disordered during the cutting and fusion splicing of the ribbon optical fibers, and thus, the work hassle may increase significantly compared to the existing coated ribbon that can be spliced ​​while maintaining an accurate arrangement.

[0069] Accordingly, the pattern structure of the joint (20) according to the present invention described above is characterized by having 3 to 4 joints (20) that are slightly offset in the longitudinal direction on any cross-section, for example, in the case of a 12-core optical fiber ribbon, in order to prevent a decrease in flexibility and damage to the joint (20) due to interference between the joints (20) during the widthwise rolling process of the ribbon, while minimizing inconvenience in stripping / connecting work of the ribbon.

[0070] Furthermore, in order to maintain uniform properties throughout the entire section of the intermittent bonding ribbon and to facilitate regular pattern formation in a manufacturing device that realizes efficient and robust manufacturing of the intermittent bonding ribbon according to the present invention, which will be described later, it is also a feature of the present invention to maintain various specifications throughout the entire section of the intermittent bonding ribbon according to the present invention at a constant level.

[0071] The reason for forming a plurality of joints (20) on optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction based on the conditions described above is to facilitate the stripping / connection work of optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction.

[0072] In other words, a process of cutting a portion of the length of optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction and then connecting the cut portion to other optical fibers (10) can be performed. At this time, a plurality of joints (20) formed on the optical fibers (10) by being patterned according to set conditions facilitates the stripping / connecting process of the optical fibers (10).

[0073] When a plurality of optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction are transmitted in the width direction based on the cutting line (C) shown in Fig. 3, it is preferable that the number of joints (20) cut together with the optical fibers (10) be 3 or more and 4 or less.

[0074] That is, when an arbitrary position in the longitudinal direction of an intermittent bonding ribbon (100) composed of a plurality of optical fibers (10) is viewed on a cross-section in the width direction of the ribbon (100), the number of bonding portions (10) on the cross-section may be at least 2 and at most 4.

[0075] For example, in the case of the intermittent bonding ribbon (100) for an optical cable according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 3, the number of core wires of the optical fiber (10) is set to 12, the length of the bonding portion (20) is set to 17 mm, the spacing between bonding portions (20) on the same line is set to 35 mm, and the offset spacing with respect to the neighboring bonding portion (20) is set to 8.5 mm. It can be confirmed that while there are no bonding portions (20) in the same position that overlap the cutting line (C), there are at least 2 and at most 4 bonding portions (20) that overlap and are offset.

[0076] At this time, since the point where there are two joints (20) and the other two joint ends almost overlap, it can be confirmed that there are three or more and four or fewer joints (20) of the ribbon on any cross-section of the entire section.

[0077] Since the longitudinal ends of the optical fibers (10) cut by the above-mentioned cutting line (C) are relatively well maintained in a state of being bound by three or more and four or fewer joints (20), as shown in FIG. 4, the worker can easily perform the work of connecting the optical fibers (10) after stripping the optical cable.

[0078] Conversely, if there is no joint (20) overlapping the cutting line (C), there is a problem in that the longitudinal ends of the optical fibers (10) cut along the cutting line (C) each float separately and remain in a disordered state, making it difficult to perform the stripping / connecting work of the optical fibers (10).

[0079] In addition, if there are an excessive number of joints (20) overlapping the cutting line (C), for example, 6 or more, there is a problem that it is difficult to perform the stripping / connecting work of the optical fibers (10), because the longitudinal ends of the optical fibers (10) cut by the cutting line (C) remain connected by 6 or more joints (20).

[0080] Therefore, when a plurality of optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction are cut in the width direction, it is preferable that the number of joints (20) included in the cut portion be 25 to 35% of the total number of optical fibers (10).

[0081] And, as shown in FIG. 2, the joint (20) is preferably positioned at a position higher than the center of the optical fiber (10) and lower than the top of the optical fiber (10) based on the cross-section of the optical fiber (10).

[0082] This is because, if the joint (20) is positioned higher than the top height of the optical fiber (10), during the process of rolling the optical fibers (10) in the width direction, the portion of the joint (20) protruding outside the valleys of the optical fibers (10) comes into contact with the neighboring joint (20), making the rolling process difficult. Therefore, it is preferable that the joint (20) formed between the valleys of the optical fibers (10) be positioned lower than the top of the optical fiber (10) based on the cross-section of the optical fiber (10).

[0083]

[0084] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a plurality of joints (20) patterned on optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction can be formed by at least two nozzle units (40) having a structure in which a plurality of nozzles (41) that eject adhesive in an inkjet manner are arranged in a parallel direction.

[0085] In detail, the joint (10) can be formed on one surface of the optical fiber (10) by at least two nozzle units (40) including a plurality of nozzles (41) having a structure in which n-1 nozzles (41) are arranged in a parallel direction and eject a joint resin in an inkjet manner between n optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction (n is an integer of 2 or more).

[0086] For reference, FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of 12 optical fibers (10) being arranged adjacent to each other in a parallel direction and being transported in the transport direction (A) illustrated in FIG. 5. In addition, on the upper portion of the 12 optical fibers (10), a nozzle unit (40) including three nozzles (41) is illustrated as being arranged in five pieces spaced apart from each other along the length and width directions of the optical fibers (10), and a first photocuring unit (50), which will be described later, is illustrated as being arranged between them.

[0087] As illustrated in FIG. 5, in the nozzle unit (40), the spacing (q) between adjacent nozzles (41) among at least two nozzles (41) arranged in a parallel direction can be set to an integer multiple of the center-to-center distance (s) between the optical fibers (10) described above, with the condition of 2s≤q≤6s.

[0088] That is, the spacing between nozzles within the nozzle unit (40) is such that the resin is ejected at a location skipping at least one connection (2s), and the nozzle (41) spacing (q) of 6s for the 12-core ribbon, which is usually the most commonly produced, has a meaning as the spacing that constitutes 6 nozzle units (40) including 2 nozzles with a spacing of 6s in one nozzle unit (40).

[0089] Additionally, the spacing (q) between at least two nozzles (41) arranged in the nozzle unit (40) can be made the same.

[0090] In addition, when the number of the nozzle units (40) is m (m is an integer greater than or equal to 2), n / m can have an integer value greater than or equal to 2 in relation to the number of optical fibers (10) n.

[0091] For example, in the case of a 12-core ribbon, the number of nozzle units (40) can be formed from 2 to 6. In the case of having 2 nozzle units (40), 2 nozzle units (40) each including 6 nozzles (40) spaced at 2s intervals can be installed longitudinally and connected with an offset of s in the transverse direction, and in the case of having 6 nozzle units (40), 6 nozzle units (40) each including 2 nozzles (40) spaced at 6s intervals can be installed longitudinally and spaced apart with an offset of s in the transverse direction.

[0092] That is, at least two or more of the nozzle units (40) are spaced apart along the longitudinal direction on the transport path (A) of the intermittent bonding ribbon (100) for optical cables transported in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber (10), as shown in FIG. 5, and are also spaced apart by an integer multiple of the center-to-center distance (s) of the optical fibers (10) along the width direction of the intermittent bonding ribbon (100) for optical cables, so as to form the plurality of bonding portions (20) under set conditions.

[0093] At least two or more of the above nozzle units (40) can be controlled by a control unit programmed to form a plurality of joints (20) under set conditions, and of course, can be controlled by taking into consideration the number (n) of optical fibers (10), the number of joints (20) according to the number, the length (d1) of the joints (20), etc.

[0094] Meanwhile, the reason for providing at least two nozzle units (40) is that the spacing between optical fibers is only about 250 ㎛, so it is physically difficult to arrange multiple nozzles (41) in a horizontal direction on one nozzle unit (40), and more precise resin discharge is possible.

[0095] In detail, as shown in FIG. 5, when 12 optical fibers (10) are arranged in a parallel direction, 11 joints (20) are required to intermittently join the optical fibers (10), and in order to form the 11 joints (20) into one fixed nozzle unit (40), 11 nozzles (41) must be arranged on one nozzle unit (40).

[0096] However, not only is the mechanical configuration for arranging 11 nozzles (41) on one nozzle unit (40) not easy, but even when arranged, there is a disadvantage in that it is difficult to precisely eject the bonding resin at the set location.

[0097] Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned disadvantage, as shown in Fig. 5, it is preferable to provide at least two nozzle units (40) including at least two nozzles (41), and to arrange at least two nozzle units (40) spaced apart from each other along the length direction and width direction of the optical fiber (10).

[0098] The above configuration enables the use of a nozzle unit (40) of the same specifications configured under set conditions even if the specifications of the ribbon (100) to be manufactured are changed. That is, even if the number of optical fibers (10) or the formation conditions of the joint (20) are changed, the nozzle unit (40) of the same specifications can be used as is, and accordingly, the manufacturing cost of the ribbon (100) can be reduced by eliminating the need to separately manufacture a nozzle unit (40) of a different specification.

[0099] Meanwhile, among the five nozzle units (40) illustrated in FIG. 5, the nozzle (41') of the fourth nozzle unit (40) arranged at the downstream end in the transport direction (A) and the nozzle (41') of the fifth nozzle unit (40) may be arranged on the same line as the nozzle (41) of the nozzle unit (40) arranged at the upstream end in the transport direction (A). In this way, the nozzle (41') of the nozzle unit (40) arranged on the same line along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber (10) may be controlled not to discharge the bonding resin.

[0100]

[0101] And, an intermittent bonding ribbon (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can be manufactured by a ribbon manufacturing device (not shown) including a supply unit (not shown), an alignment unit (not shown), a bonding resin discharge unit (not shown), a light irradiation curing unit (not shown), and an analysis unit (not shown).

[0102] The above supply unit may be configured to supply a plurality of optical fibers (10) each including a pigment coating layer of a different color wound on a plurality of payoff drums.

[0103] That is, before being applied to the supply section, each optical fiber (10) may be coated with a unique color within the ribbon.

[0104] The above alignment unit may be a component that arranges a plurality of optical fibers (10) drawn from the supply unit in a parallel direction so that the width is a multiple of the number (n) of optical fibers (10) relative to the diameter (L) of the optical fibers (10). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, 12 optical fibers can be transported while being aligned in a parallel direction. At this time, by fixing the width to be 3 mm, which is 12 times the diameter (L) of the optical fibers of 250 μm, the optical fibers within the ribbon can be transported within the device while being in close contact.

[0105] The above bonding resin discharge unit can be said to be a component that applies bonding resin to the upper surface of optical fibers (10) that are transported in an aligned state by the alignment unit, or more precisely, to the valley formed between an optical fiber (10) and an adjacent optical fiber (10).

[0106] The bonding resin discharge unit may be configured to form a plurality of bonding units (20) including n-1 or more nozzles (41) that discharge photocurable bonding resin and are formed on top of a transport means that transports the aligned optical fibers (10) in the longitudinal direction to intermittently connect the aligned optical fibers (10) in a parallel direction.

[0107] Accordingly, the above-described bonding resin discharge unit may be configured to include at least two nozzle units (40) that discharge adhesive in an inkjet manner as described above.

[0108] The above-mentioned light irradiation curing unit can be said to be a component that cures and bonds the bonding resin intermittently discharged in the longitudinal and lateral directions of the optical fibers (10) aligned by the bonding resin discharge unit.

[0109] The light irradiation curing unit may include a first light irradiation unit (50) positioned downstream of each of the nozzle units (40) spaced apart along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber (10) in the transport direction (A) of the intermittent bonding ribbon (100) for the optical cable, as illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0110] In addition, the light irradiation curing unit may be configured to include a second light irradiation unit (not shown) that is positioned downstream of the first light irradiation unit (50) that is located at the most downstream position among a plurality of first light irradiation units (50) and performs light irradiation curing over the entire width direction of the optical fibers (10), separately from the first light irradiation unit (50).

[0111] The first light irradiation unit (50) can be placed in the space between a plurality of nozzle units (40), as shown in FIG. 5.

[0112] The first light irradiation unit (50) can instantly cure one side of the optical fiber (10) from which the bonding resin has been discharged by the nozzle unit (40), and can be provided along the entire width direction of the optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction to perform light irradiation curing over the entire width direction of the optical fibers (10), or, as shown in FIG. 5, can be provided along a part of the width direction of the optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction to perform light irradiation curing only on one side of the optical fiber (10) from which the bonding resin has been discharged.

[0113] The first light irradiation unit (50) configured as described above can be a component that immediately hardens the bonding resin discharged onto the optical fiber (10) by the bonding resin discharge unit. That is, it is preferable to place the first light irradiation unit (50) in a space between a plurality of nozzle units (40) so that the bonding resin discharged from the nozzle unit (40) can be immediately hardened so that the bonding portion (20) can be formed at a set position of the optical fiber (10) with set conditions.

[0114] This is because, in the process of transferring a plurality of optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction in the transfer direction (A) shown in Fig. 5, the bonding resin discharged from the nozzle unit (40) may flow from the initial discharged position due to the influence of the unidirectional speed of the optical fibers (10) transferred by a transfer device (not shown).

[0115] For example, if the bonding resin discharged by the nozzle unit (40) is not immediately hardened and is transported, the bonding resin flows due to the transport speed of the optical fibers (10) transported by the transport device, and as a result, the length (d1) of the bonding portion (20) may deviate from the set value, and furthermore, the spacing (d2, d3) of the bonding portions (20) and the offset spacing (d4) may also deviate from the set value.

[0116] Therefore, in order to accurately form a plurality of joints (20) in the optical fibers (10) arranged in a parallel direction under the set conditions, it is preferable to place a first light irradiation unit (50) in the space between a plurality of nozzle units (40) to immediately harden the joint resin discharged from the nozzle units (40).

[0117] And, since the bonding resin cured by the plurality of first light irradiation units (50) is in a state where sufficient curing has not occurred between the nozzle units (40), the uncured resin can be completely cured by the second light irradiation unit described above.

[0118] The above analysis unit is a component that determines whether a joint (20) formed on an optical fiber (10) by a known optical device is formed on the optical fiber (10) under set conditions, and can inspect the formation length of the joint (20), the spacing between the joints (20), etc.

[0119] An intermittent bonding ribbon (100) for an optical cable according to one embodiment of the present invention is manufactured by a ribbon manufacturing device configured as described above, and has flexibility in the width direction while simultaneously ensuring maintenance in a rolling state.

[0120] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, it is obvious that various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0121] Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined not only by the scope of the claims described below, but also by equivalents of the claims.

[0122] The present invention can be applied and sold in various data communication fields.

Claims

1. Multiple optical fibers arranged in a parallel direction and In an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, the intermittent bonding ribbon includes a plurality of bonding portions formed in a valley formed between the plurality of optical fibers and intermittently bonding the plurality of optical fibers in a parallel direction. The diameters of the individual optical fibers of the intermittent bonding ribbon including the core, clad layer and outer layer are all the same, and the diameter (L) of the individual optical fibers and the center-to-center distance (s) between adjacent optical fibers are the same. The above multiple joints are formed only in the grooves on one side of the intermittent joint ribbon for the optical cable, and when the optical fibers are viewed in a plan view, they are spaced apart in the longitudinal and width directions of the optical fibers and are repeatedly patterned. The lengths of the above multiple joints are all the same, The spacing between two adjacent joints in a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber is the same, The offset spacing between any one of the above joints and the adjacent joints positioned widthwise is the same, The above offset spacing, which is the longitudinal spacing of adjacent joints, exceeds 0, An intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, characterized in that the plurality of bonding portions have different distances from each other with respect to the vertical barcode lines marked on the optical fiber.

2. In paragraph 1, The above joint is, An intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, characterized in that it is formed on one surface of an optical fiber by at least two nozzle units including a plurality of nozzles having a structure in which n-1 nozzles are arranged in a parallel direction and eject a bonding resin in an inkjet manner between n optical fibers (n is an integer greater than or equal to 2) arranged in a parallel direction.

3. In paragraph 2, In the above nozzle unit, Among the at least two nozzles arranged in a parallel direction, the spacing (q) between adjacent nozzles is an integer multiple of the center-to-center distance (s) between optical fibers, and 2s≤q≤6s, The spacing q between adjacent nozzles within all the above nozzle units is the same, When the number of the above nozzle units is m (m is an integer greater than or equal to 2), n / m has an integer value greater than or equal to 2 in relation to the number of optical fibers n, At least two nozzle units above, An intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, characterized in that it is spaced apart along the longitudinal direction on the transport path of the intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable transported in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber, and is also spaced apart by an integer multiple of the center-to-center distance (s) of the optical fibers along the width direction of the intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, thereby forming the plurality of bonding portions under set conditions.

4. In paragraph 3, An intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, characterized in that the formation length of the above bonding portion is greater than 15 mm and less than 20 mm.

5. In paragraph 4, The spacing between two adjacent joints in a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber is 30 mm to 50 mm, An intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, characterized in that the distance between one longitudinal end of a bonding portion arranged in a straight line among the above-mentioned multiple bonding portions and one longitudinal end of another adjacent bonding portion is greater than 45 mm and less than 70 mm.

6. In paragraph 5, An intermittent bonding ribbon, characterized in that the offset interval, which is the interval between one of the plurality of bonding portions and one end of the longitudinal direction of the bonding portions arranged adjacently in the width direction, is half the length of the bonding portion.

7. In paragraph 6, An intermittent bonding ribbon, characterized in that the number of bonding portions on a width-wise cross-section at any position perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the intermittent bonding ribbon composed of the plurality of optical fibers is at least 2 and at most 4.

8. In paragraph 7, An intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, characterized in that the above bonding portion has a position higher than the center (P) of the optical fiber and lower than the top end of the optical fiber based on the cross-section of the optical fiber.

9. In paragraph 8, The above plurality of optical fibers in the intermittent splicing ribbon for the above optical cable include a coating layer coated with pigments of different colors, An intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, characterized in that the diameter of the optical fiber including the coating layer is 250㎛±5㎛, and the center-to-center distance between adjacent optical fibers among the plurality of optical fibers is the same as the diameter of the optical fiber.

10. A manufacturing device for an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable according to any one of claims 1 to 9, A supply section for supplying a plurality of optical fibers each having a pigment coating layer of a different color wound on a plurality of payoff drums; An alignment unit that arranges a plurality of optical fibers drawn from the above supply unit in a parallel direction so that the width is a multiple of the number of optical fibers n with respect to the diameter (L) of the optical fibers; A bonding resin discharge unit including n-1 or more nozzles that discharge photocurable bonding resin and are formed on the upper part of a transport means that transports the optical fibers in the longitudinal direction to intermittently connect the optical fibers aligned in the alignment unit in a parallel direction, thereby forming a plurality of bonding portions between the optical fibers; A light irradiation curing unit that intermittently hardens and bonds the bonding resin ejected in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the optical fibers aligned by the bonding resin ejecting unit; and A manufacturing device for an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, characterized in that it includes an analysis unit for inspecting an optical fiber that has passed through the above-mentioned light irradiation hardening unit.

11. In paragraph 10, The above-mentioned joint resin discharge unit has at least two nozzle units each consisting of at least two nozzles arranged in a parallel direction, In each of the above nozzle units, the spacing q between adjacent nozzles of at least two nozzles arranged in a parallel direction is an integer multiple of the center-to-center distance s of the optical fibers, and 2s≤q≤6s, The spacing q between adjacent nozzles within all the above nozzle units is the same, When the number of the above nozzle units is m (m is an integer greater than or equal to 2), n / m has an integer value greater than or equal to 2 in relation to the number of optical fibers n, A manufacturing device for an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, characterized in that a plurality of the nozzle units are arranged on the upper portion of the intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, spaced apart along the longitudinal direction on the transport path of the intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable transported in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber, and spaced apart by an integer multiple of the center-to-center distance s of adjacent optical fibers along the width direction.

12. In paragraph 11, A manufacturing device for an intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, characterized in that the light irradiation curing unit comprises a first light irradiation unit positioned downstream of each of the nozzle units spaced apart along the longitudinal direction on the transport path of the intermittent bonding ribbon for an optical cable, and a second light irradiation unit positioned downstream of the first light irradiation unit positioned most downstream.

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