Optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body and optical fiber ribbon winding system

Abstract

The present invention relates to an optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body and an optical fiber ribbon winding system, which can stably maintain the shape of an optical fiber ribbon wound around a bobbin, and the state of bonding between the optical fibers, while minimizing optical loss due to stress working on the optical fibers due to winding tension when the optical fiber ribbon that is rollable in the width direction is wound around the bobbin.

Description

Optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder and optical fiber ribbon winding system

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder and an optical fiber ribbon winding system. More specifically, the present invention relates to an optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder and an optical fiber ribbon winding system capable of stably maintaining the shape of an optical fiber ribbon wound on a bobbin and the state of inter-optic fiber bonding while minimizing optical loss due to stress applied to an optical fiber due to winding tension when winding a widthwise rollable optical fiber ribbon on a bobbin.

[0002] To build a large-capacity optical communication network, an optical fiber ribbon made by splicing optical fibers in parallel can be used.

[0003] An optical fiber ribbon is a composite material made by joining multiple optical fibers in parallel using resin or the like. It is generally manufactured in the form of a strip, and these are sometimes laminated to form a ribbon laminate in the shape of a polygonal column.

[0004] These optical fiber ribbons are mainly used in large-capacity communication networks because of their advantage of being able to be connected in bulk by optical fiber ribbon at the connection point.

[0005] Furthermore, a rollable optical fiber ribbon that can be transformed into various shapes, such as by rolling, bunching, or folding the optical fiber ribbon in the width direction, is being introduced to increase the utilization of the internal space of a conduit for constructing an optical communication network or the number of optical fiber cores accommodated in an optical cable or optical unit.

[0006] Typically, optical fiber ribbons are supplied wound on bobbins. Winding optical fiber ribbons on bobbins effectively prevents kinking and damage to the fibers, facilitates transportation and storage, and allows for easy unwinding from the bobbin during cable manufacturing or installation, thus improving workability.

[0007] Meanwhile, in the case of a rollable optical fiber ribbon, intermittent joints are formed by intermittently applying resin along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber between a pair of adjacent optical fibers for widthwise rolling, or by intermittently removing the resin between a pair of adjacent optical fibers after coating the entire optical fiber with resin. Therefore, the rollable optical fiber ribbon has insufficient joint strength compared to a general optical fiber ribbon in which resin is integrally applied to the entire boundary area between a pair of adjacent optical fibers or to the surface of the optical fiber ribbon, making it difficult to maintain the shape of the optical fiber ribbon.

[0008] Therefore, when a rollable optical fiber ribbon, rather than a general optical fiber, is wound on a bobbin, the joints constituting the optical fiber ribbon wound on the bobbin may be separated or deformed due to winding tension and bending stress, causing twisting or lifting of the optical fiber. Therefore, it is not easy to maintain the shape of the optical fiber ribbon, i.e., the arrangement of multiple optical fibers arranged in parallel in the optical fiber ribbon, stably. Therefore, it is required to control the winding tension to an appropriate size range.

[0009] Therefore, there is a great demand for an optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder and an optical fiber ribbon winding system that can stably maintain the shape of an optical fiber ribbon wound on a bobbin and the state of inter-optical bonding while minimizing optical loss due to stress applied to optical fibers of an optical fiber ribbon due to winding tension when winding a widthwise rollable optical fiber ribbon on a bobbin.

[0010] The present invention aims to solve the problem of providing an optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body and an optical fiber ribbon winding system that can stably maintain the shape of an optical fiber ribbon wound on a bobbin and the state of bonding between optical fibers while minimizing optical loss due to stress applied to an optical fiber due to winding tension when winding an optical fiber ribbon that can be deformed in the width direction on a bobbin.

[0011] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides an optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder including: an optical fiber ribbon in which adjacent optical fibers are mutually bonded so that a plurality of optical fibers can roll in the width direction; and a bobbin including a cylindrical spool on which the optical fiber ribbon is wound and a flange plate installed at each end of the spool and having a diameter larger than the spool; wherein a longitudinal winding pitch (mm) of the spool of the optical fiber ribbon spirally wound on the spool of the bobbin is in a range of 1.05 to 1.30 times the width (W) of the optical fiber ribbon.

[0012] Here, the optical fiber ribbon is laminated as a plurality of optical fiber ribbon layers on the spool of the bobbin, and adjacent optical fiber ribbon layers laminated in the radial direction of the spool among the plurality of optical fiber ribbon layers laminated on the spool of the bobbin may have winding directions of the optical fiber ribbons that are opposite to each other.

[0013] Additionally, the optical fiber ribbon may include a plurality of splices that intermittently splice a pair of optical fibers arranged in parallel along the length of the optical fiber.

[0014] And, among the N optical fibers constituting the optical fiber ribbon, a plurality of joints for jointing the nth optical fiber (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) and the n+1th optical fiber can be spaced apart at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the optical fibers.

[0015] In this case, the length of each of the above joints may be 5 mm to 15 mm, the period of the above joints may be 10 mm to 90 mm, and the length of each non-joint portion arranged between adjacent pairs of the above joints may be 5 mm to 75 mm.

[0016] And, the longitudinal position of the optical fiber of each of the above joints can be arranged at the center of the longitudinal position of the adjacent joints.

[0017] Additionally, the optical fiber ribbon may have a length in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber of a non-bonded region in which not all optical fibers are bonded by the bonding portion in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon may be 10 mm to 30 mm.

[0018] Here, the length of each of the above-mentioned joints is 5 mm to 18 mm, the period of the above-mentioned joints is 24 mm to 84 mm, the length of each non-joined joint arranged between adjacent pairs of the above-mentioned joints is 30 mm to 70 mm, and the length of the optical fiber longitudinal direction of the non-joined region where not all optical fibers are joined by the above-mentioned joints in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon may be 3 mm to 15 mm.

[0019] And, the longitudinal position of the optical fiber of each of the above joints can be arranged to be spaced apart from the longitudinal position of the adjacent joint by 1 / N.

[0020] In this case, the elongation of the joint may be 40% to 210%, the elastic modulus may be 5 MPa to 90 MPa at 2.5% strain, and the viscosity may be 80 mPa·s to 800 mPa·s at 25°C.

[0021] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides an optical fiber ribbon winding system for winding an optical fiber ribbon in which adjacent optical fibers are mutually bonded so that a plurality of optical fibers can roll in the width direction, onto a bobbin including a cylindrical spool on which the optical fiber ribbon is wound and flange plates installed at each end of the spool and having a diameter larger than the spool, the system comprising: an optical fiber ribbon supply unit for supplying the optical fiber ribbon in the spool direction of the bobbin; a tension application unit for applying a winding tension to the optical fiber ribbon supplied from the supply unit; a bobbin driving unit provided for rotationally driving or axially moving the bobbin; and a control unit including the ribbon supply unit, the tension application unit, and the bobbin driving unit, wherein the control unit controls the tension application unit or the bobbin driving unit so that the optical fiber ribbon spirally wound on the spool of the bobbin has a longitudinal winding pitch (mm) of the spool in a range of 1.05 to 1.30 times the width (W) of the optical fiber ribbon.

[0022] Here, the control unit can control the bobbin driving unit to move the bobbin in the axial direction or at least one roller constituting the tension applying unit to move the bobbin in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the spool of the bobbin.

[0023] In addition, the tension applying unit can apply a winding tension of 4 g / fiber to 15 g / fiber to each optical fiber constituting the optical fiber ribbon.

[0024] According to the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body and optical fiber ribbon winding system according to the present invention, an optical fiber ribbon capable of being rolled in the width direction is spirally wound on a bobbin so as to have a winding pitch of a predetermined length, thereby effectively preventing separation, twisting, or lifting of each optical fiber constituting the optical fiber ribbon, thereby stably maintaining the shape and bonding state of the optical fiber ribbon wound on the bobbin.

[0025] In addition, according to the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body and optical fiber ribbon winding system according to the present invention, the winding tension of the optical fiber ribbon wound on the bobbin can be controlled to a predetermined size, thereby preventing a deterioration in the optical loss characteristics of the optical fiber due to stress applied to the optical fiber constituting the optical fiber ribbon due to the tension continuously generated during bobbin winding.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 illustrates an optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention being wound on a bobbin and an enlarged view of the winding area of ​​the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder.

[0028] Figure 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view showing that the winding pitch of the optical fiber ribbon is reduced, creating a height difference between the optical fibers that make up the optical fiber ribbon.

[0029] Figure 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view showing that the winding pitch of the optical fiber ribbon is increased, creating a height difference between the optical fibers that make up the optical fiber ribbon.

[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates a plan view of one embodiment of an optical fiber ribbon constituting an optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body according to the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 6 illustrates a plan view of another embodiment of an optical fiber ribbon constituting an optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body according to the present invention.

[0032] Figure 7 illustrates a configuration diagram of an optical fiber ribbon winding system according to the present invention.

[0033] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided to ensure that the disclosure is thorough and complete, and to sufficiently convey the spirit of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like reference numbers designate like elements throughout the specification.

[0034] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder (300) according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view showing an optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention being wound on a bobbin and an enlarged view of a winding area of ​​the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder (300).

[0035] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder (300) according to the present invention comprises: an optical fiber ribbon (100) in which adjacent optical fibers are mutually bonded so that a plurality of optical fibers can roll in the width direction; and a bobbin (200) including a cylindrical spool (210) on which the optical fiber ribbon (100) is wound, and flange plates (220) installed at each end of the spool (210) and having a diameter larger than that of the spool (210). Here, the longitudinal winding pitch (P) (mm) of the spool (210) of the optical fiber ribbon (100) spirally wound on the spool (210) of the bobbin (200) may be configured to be in a range of 1.05 to 1.30 times the width (W) of the optical fiber ribbon (100).

[0036] Here, the winding pitch refers to the distance between the previously wound optical fiber ribbon and the next wound optical fiber ribbon when the ribbon unit optical fiber is wound on the spool, as shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 2, the distance between the centers of the optical fiber ribbons in the longitudinal direction of the spool when the optical fiber ribbons are wound on the spool is expressed as the pitch P, but the pitch P can also be expressed as the distance from the left end of the previously wound optical fiber ribbon to the left end of the next wound optical fiber ribbon, or from the right end of the previously wound optical fiber ribbon to the right end of the next wound optical fiber ribbon. Since this pitch value may have slight differences depending on where it is measured due to the difference in tension when the optical fiber ribbon is wound, or the degree of shrinkage after winding, the winding pitch is generally measured by measuring three winding pitches at the center in the longitudinal direction of the spool in the same layer on which the optical fiber ribbon is wound, and three at each end, that is, near the flange plate, and the average value is taken as the winding pitch value.

[0037] The optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body (300) according to the present invention is in the form of a bobbin assembly including an optical fiber ribbon (100) and a bobbin (200) on which the optical fiber ribbon (100) is wound.

[0038] In this way, since the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body (300) according to the present invention has the optical fiber ribbon (100) wound around the bobbin (200), the risk of each optical fiber constituting the optical fiber ribbon (100) being twisted or broken can be reduced, thereby preventing physical damage to the optical fiber ribbon (100). In addition, since the optical fiber ribbon (100) is wound around the bobbin (200), it is convenient to store and transport the optical fiber ribbon (100). In addition, since the optical fiber ribbon (100) wound around the bobbin (200) can be easily unwound at cable manufacturing and installation sites, the workability of manufacturing, installation, and installation of the optical fiber ribbon (100) can be improved.

[0039] The optical fiber ribbon (100) constituting the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder (300) according to the present invention may be configured such that a plurality of optical fibers are arranged in parallel, and each pair of adjacent optical fibers is joined through a plurality of joints intermittently arranged along the length of the optical fiber, so as to enable width-wise rolling.

[0040] The bobbin (200) constituting the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder (300) according to the present invention may be configured to include a cylindrical spool (210) and a pair of flange plates (220) in the shape of discs respectively mounted on both ends of the spool (210). The optical fiber ribbon (100) may be spirally wound on the spool (210) in the circumferential direction of the spool (210) when the bobbin (200) is rotated. Since each flange plate (220) constituting the bobbin (200) may be formed to have a diameter larger than the diameter of the spool (210), the optical fiber ribbon (100) wound on the spool (210) of the bobbin (200) may be prevented from being separated from or unwound outside the spool (210).

[0041] Referring to FIG. 2, in the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body (300) according to the present invention, a winding tension (T) of a predetermined size is applied to an optical fiber ribbon (100) to be wound during the manufacturing process, and the optical fiber ribbon (100) is continuously supplied to a bobbin (200) while the winding tension (T) of an adjusted size is continuously applied, so that the optical fiber ribbon (100) can be wound on the bobbin (200) along with the rotational driving of the bobbin (200).

[0042] The optical fiber ribbon (100) constituting the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder (300) according to the present invention is spirally wound on the spool (210) of the bobbin (200) so as to have a winding pitch (P) (mm) of a predetermined length on the spool (210) of the bobbin (200). Specifically, the longitudinal winding pitch (P) (mm) of the spool (210) of the optical fiber ribbon (100) wound on the spool (210) of the bobbin (200) may be in the range of 1.05 to 1.30 times the width (W) of the optical fiber ribbon (100).

[0043] Figure 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view showing that the winding pitch of the optical fiber ribbon is reduced, creating a height difference between the optical fibers that make up the optical fiber ribbon.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3, when the winding pitch (P) (mm) of the optical fiber ribbon (100) is smaller than 1.05 times the width (W) of the optical fiber ribbon (100), excessive bending stress is applied to the optical fiber ribbon (100) wound on the bobbin (200), so that each optical fiber constituting the optical fiber ribbon (100) is not arranged in a straight line and an excessive height difference (△H) occurs between the optical fibers included in the same optical fiber ribbon. N ) may occur, causing the optical fiber to twist or causing cracks or damage at the bonding area of ​​the optical fiber ribbon (100). In this case, the bonded optical fibers may detach or separate from each other through the bonding area of ​​the optical fiber ribbon (100), so that the shape of the optical fiber ribbon (100) cannot be stably maintained, and thus, damage to the optical fiber and deterioration of the appearance quality of the optical fiber ribbon (100) may occur.

[0045] In addition, the widthwise end portion of a newly wound optical fiber ribbon (100) overlaps and is wound on a previously wound optical fiber ribbon (100), causing a lifting phenomenon, so that the shape of the optical fiber ribbon (100), i.e., the arrangement of multiple optical fibers arranged in parallel in the optical fiber ribbon (100), cannot be stably maintained.

[0046] On the other hand, if the winding pitch (P) (mm) of the optical fiber ribbon (100) is greater than 1.30 times the width (W) of the optical fiber ribbon (100), the longitudinal length of the spool (210) of the bobbin (200) required to wind the optical fiber ribbon (100) per unit length may unnecessarily increase, resulting in wasted space in the winding area of ​​the optical fiber ribbon (100) on the outer surface of the bobbin (200).

[0047] Figure 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view showing that the winding pitch of the optical fiber ribbon is increased, creating a height difference between the optical fibers that make up the optical fiber ribbon.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 4, some of the optical fibers that constitute the optical fiber ribbon (100) to be wound on the next layer are placed in the wide gap space formed between adjacent wound optical fiber ribbons (100), causing an excessive height difference (△H) between the optical fibers included in the same optical fiber ribbon. W ) may occur, causing distortion, lifting of the optical fiber, or cracks and damage in the bonding area of ​​the optical fiber ribbon (100), and the structure may be vulnerable to external shock and vibration applied to the bobbin (200) due to the separation space, and may not be able to sufficiently protect the optical fiber of the optical fiber ribbon (100).

[0049] In addition, in the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder (300) according to the present invention, the optical fiber ribbon (100) is continuously wound around the bobbin (200), so that at least two layers of optical fiber ribbons (100) can be wound around the bobbin (200) in a state where they are laminated in the circumferential direction of the spool (210) of the bobbin (200). At this time, each optical fiber ribbon (100) laminated on the spool (210) of the bobbin (200) can be wound in different directions from adjacent optical fiber ribbons (100) laminated in the radial direction of the spool.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 2, the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder (300) according to the present invention can first form a first optical fiber ribbon layer (S1) by winding the optical fiber ribbon (100) spirally on the outer surface of the spool (210) during the process of continuously winding the optical fiber ribbon (100) on the bobbin (200) for its manufacture, and then the optical fiber ribbon (100) continuously supplied to the bobbin (200) can be stacked on the outer surface of the first optical fiber ribbon layer (S1) and spirally wound to form a second optical fiber ribbon layer (S2).

[0051] Preferably, the winding direction of the optical fiber ribbon (100) in the first optical fiber ribbon layer (S1) and the winding direction of the optical fiber ribbon (100) in the second optical fiber ribbon layer (S3) may be configured to be opposite to each other. For example, when the winding direction of the optical fiber ribbon (100) in the first optical fiber ribbon layer (S1) formed on the outer surface of the spool (210) of the bobbin (200) is clockwise (S-twist), the winding direction of the optical fiber ribbon (100) in the second optical fiber ribbon layer (S2) laminated on the first optical fiber ribbon layer (S1) may be counterclockwise (Z-twist).

[0052] If the optical fiber ribbon (100) is continuously wound on the outer surface of the second optical fiber ribbon layer (S2) and a third optical fiber ribbon layer (not shown) is additionally laminated on the second optical fiber ribbon layer (S3), the winding direction of the optical fiber ribbon (100) in the third optical fiber ribbon layer may be clockwise (S-twist), which is opposite to the winding direction of the optical fiber ribbon (100) in the second optical fiber ribbon layer (S2).

[0053] In this way, the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder (300) according to the present invention is configured so that the winding directions of the optical fiber ribbons (100) in the plurality of optical fiber ribbon layers (S1, S2) are opposite to each other, thereby distributing the load and pressure to each optical fiber ribbon layer (S1, S2), thereby effectively preventing physical damage to the optical fiber and optical loss due to excessive stress.

[0054] FIG. 5 illustrates a plan view of one embodiment of an optical fiber ribbon constituting an optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 illustrates a plan view of another embodiment of an optical fiber ribbon constituting an optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body according to the present invention.

[0055] As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the optical fiber ribbon (100) constituting the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder (300) according to the present invention does not form a joint (20) for joining a pair of adjacent optical fibers (10) in the entire boundary area between the optical fibers (10), but intermittently arranges a plurality of joints (20) for joining a pair of adjacent optical fibers (10) along the optical fiber length direction in the boundary area of ​​the pair of optical fibers (10) to implement width-wise rolling of the optical fiber ribbon (100).

[0056] In this way, the optical fiber ribbon (100) constituting the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder (300) according to the present invention is not a general optical fiber ribbon type having a joint structure in which joints are continuously formed over the entire boundary area between optical fibers or in which joints are integrally formed on the surface of the optical fiber ribbon (100), but is a rollable optical fiber ribbon (100) having a joint structure in which a plurality of joints (20) for joining adjacent pairs of optical fibers are intermittently formed along the length direction of the optical fiber.

[0057] This rollable optical fiber ribbon (100) has the advantage of being able to roll in the width direction by securing flexibility through a bonding structure, but the rollable optical fiber ribbon (100) has insufficient bonding strength between optical fibers compared to a general optical fiber ribbon, so when it is wound on a bobbin (200), it may be difficult to maintain the bonding state of each optical fiber (10) constituting the optical fiber ribbon (100).

[0058] Accordingly, as described above, the optical fiber ribbon (100) constituting the optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body (300) according to the present invention is wound on the bobbin (200) with a predetermined length of winding pitch (P) (mm), that is, the winding pitch (P) (mm) of the optical fiber ribbon (100) is in a range of 1.05 to 1.30 times the width (W) of the optical fiber ribbon (100), thereby stably maintaining the arrangement of a plurality of optical fibers (10) arranged in parallel with each other in the optical fiber ribbon (100) and the bonding state between the optical fibers (10).

[0059] And, the optical fiber ribbon (100) constituting the optical fiber ribbon winding body (300) according to the present invention may have two or more optical fibers (10) arranged between two adjacent joints (20) in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon.

[0060] For example, the optical fiber ribbon (100) may have two optical fibers (10) arranged between two adjacent joints (20) in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon as shown in FIG. 5, and four optical fibers (10) may be arranged between two adjacent joints (20) in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon as shown in FIG. 6.

[0061] The above optical fiber ribbon (100) can be configured by joining a pair of optical fibers (10) arranged adjacently among a plurality of optical fibers (10) arranged in parallel through a plurality of joints (20) having a specific pattern along the length direction of the optical fiber ribbon.

[0062] For example, in the case of an optical fiber ribbon (100) having an exemplary structure illustrated in FIG. 5, the length (a) of each joint (20) for joining optical fibers (10) may be 5 mm to 15 mm, the period (p) of the joint (20) may be 10 mm to 90 mm, and the length (c) of the non-joined portion may be 5 mm to 75 mm. In this case, the optical fiber ribbon (100) may be rolled in the width direction, but problems such as the optical fiber (10) being separated during the rolling process may be minimized.

[0063] In addition, the optical fiber ribbon (100) illustrated in FIG. 5 may have a length (b) of an unbonded region in which not all optical fibers are bonded by the bonding portion in the width direction in a range of 10 mm to 30 mm. When the length (b) of the unbonded region is configured within the above range, the flexibility of the optical fiber ribbon (100) can be optimized by using a plurality of bonding portions (20) of the same length and the same number.

[0064] And, as illustrated in FIG. 5, when the optical fiber ribbon (100) is composed of N optical fibers, the longitudinal position of the joint (20) that joins the nth optical fiber (10) (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) and the n+1th optical fiber (10) among the N optical fibers (10) can be arranged at the center of the longitudinal positions of two consecutive joints (20) that join the n+1th optical fiber (10) and the n+2nd (n+2 is a natural number less than or equal to N)th optical fiber (10). In this case, the optical fiber ribbon (100) can make the length (b) of the non-joined region uniform, and thus can secure uniform width-wise flexibility in the entire longitudinal position.

[0065] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the optical fiber ribbon (100) is composed of 12 pieces, and, for example, the positions of the plurality of spaced joints (20) for joining the 4th (n, n=4)th optical fiber (10(4)) and the 5th (n+1)th optical fiber (10) can be arranged at the center of the plurality of spaced joints (20) for joining the 5th (n+1)th optical fiber (10(5)) and the 6th (n+2)th optical fiber (10(6)), thereby minimizing the length (b) of the non-joined region.

[0066] On the other hand, if the longitudinal position of the optical fiber (10) of the joint (20) that joins the nth optical fiber (10) (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) and the n+1th optical fiber (10) among N optical fibers (10) is the same as the longitudinal position of the joint (20) that joins the n+1th optical fiber (10) and the n+2nd optical fiber (10) (n+2 is a natural number less than or equal to N), it is difficult to roll in the joint area where the joint (20) that joins the optical fibers (10) is arranged in the width direction, and the length (b) of the non-joined area becomes longer, making it difficult to roll the optical fiber ribbon (100).

[0067] Therefore, it is preferable that the joints (20) that join a pair of optical fibers (10) are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction, but the joints (20) that join adjacent pairs of optical fibers (10) are arranged so that they are staggered in the longitudinal direction.

[0068] In addition, in the case of the optical fiber ribbon (100) having the exemplary structure illustrated in FIG. 6, the length (a) of each joint (20) for joining the optical fiber (10) may be 5 mm to 18 mm, the period (p) of the joint (20) may be 24 mm to 84 mm, and the length (c) of the non-joined portion may be 30 mm to 70 mm.

[0069] In this case, the width-wise rolling of the optical fiber ribbon (100) is possible, but problems such as separation of the optical fiber (10) during the rolling process are minimized, and further, the occurrence rate of defects in which adjacent joints (20) are undesirably connected during the manufacturing of the rollable optical fiber ribbon (100) can be reduced.

[0070] In addition, the length (b) of the non-bonded region in which all optical fibers are not bonded by the bonding portion in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon (100) illustrated in FIG. 6 may range from 3 mm to 15 mm. When the length (b) of the non-bonded region is configured within the above range, the flexibility of the optical fiber ribbon (100) can be optimized by using multiple bonding portions (20) of the same length and the same number.

[0071] In the case of the optical fiber ribbon (100) having the exemplary structure illustrated in FIG. 6, the joint (20) that joins the nth optical fiber (10) (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) and the n+1th optical fiber (10), the joint (20) that joins the n+1th optical fiber (10) and the n+2nd optical fiber (10), the joint (20) that joins the n+2nd optical fiber (10) and the n+3rd optical fiber (10), and the joint (20) that joins the n+3rd optical fiber (10) and the n+4th optical fiber (10) may be in a diagonal or step-like pattern.

[0072] In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the longitudinal position of the optical fiber ribbon of the joint (20) that joins the nth (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) optical fiber (10) and the n+1th optical fiber (10) among a plurality of optical fibers (10), the longitudinal position of the optical fiber ribbon of the joint (20) that joins the n+1th optical fiber (10) and the n+2nd optical fiber (10), the longitudinal position of the optical fiber ribbon of the joint (20) that joins the n+2nd optical fiber (10) and the n+3rd optical fiber (10), and the longitudinal position of the optical fiber ribbon of the joint (20) that joins the n+3rd optical fiber (10) and the n+4th optical fiber (10) may not all correspond.

[0073] For example, the rollable optical fiber ribbon (100) of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6 is composed of 12 optical fibers (10), and the longitudinal positions of the optical fiber ribbons for the joint (20) that joins the 1st (n, n=1)th optical fiber (10(1)) and the 2nd (n+1)th optical fiber (10(2)), the joint (20) that joins the 2nd (n+1)th optical fiber (10(2)) and the 3rd (n+2)th optical fiber (10(3)), the joint (20) that joins the 3rd (n+2)th optical fiber (10(3)) and the 4th (n+3)th optical fiber (10(4)), and the joint (20) that joins the 4th (n+3)th optical fiber (10(4)) and the 5th (n+4)th optical fiber (10(5)) may not all correspond.

[0074] Furthermore, among the plurality of optical fibers (10) constituting the optical fiber ribbon (100), the longitudinal position of the optical fiber ribbon of the joint (20) that joins the nth optical fiber (10) and the n+1th optical fiber (10), the longitudinal position of the optical fiber ribbon of the joint (20) that joins the n+1th optical fiber (10) and the n+2nd optical fiber (10), the longitudinal position of the optical fiber ribbon of the joint (20) that joins the n+3rd optical fiber (10) and the n+4th optical fiber (10), and the longitudinal position of the optical fiber ribbon of the joint (20) that joins the n+4th optical fiber (10) and the n+5th optical fiber (10) are configured to be spaced apart from each other by the same interval, so that the interval between adjacent joints (20) in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon (100) can be made uniform, and accordingly, uniform width-direction flexibility can be secured in the entire longitudinal position of the optical fiber ribbon (100).

[0075] The optical fiber ribbon (100) illustrated in FIG. 6 can have the longitudinal positions of the optical fiber ribbon of four joints (20) periodically formed in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon corresponding to each other.

[0076] Specifically, the longitudinal position of the optical fiber ribbon of the joint (20) that joins the nth (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) optical fiber (10) and the n+1th optical fiber (10) among a plurality of optical fibers (10) and the longitudinal position of the optical fiber ribbon of the joint (20) that joins the n+4th optical fiber (10) and the n+5th optical fiber (10) may correspond.

[0077] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the longitudinal positions of the optical fiber ribbon with respect to the joint (20) that joins the 1st (n, n=1) optical fiber (10(1)) and the 2nd optical fiber (10(2)) among the 12 optical fibers (10) constituting the optical fiber ribbon (100), the joint (20) that joins the 5th optical fiber (10(2)) and the 6th optical fiber (10(3)), and the joint (20) that joins the 9th optical fiber (10(7)) and the 10th optical fiber (10(8)) are all configured to correspond to each other so that the optical fiber ribbon can be formed substantially in a straight line in the width direction of the optical fiber.

[0078] Furthermore, each of the above joints (20) of the optical fiber ribbon (100) constituting the optical fiber ribbon winding body (300) according to the present invention allows the optical fiber ribbon (100) to roll in the width direction while the optical fiber ribbon (100) wound on the bobbin (200) is unwound and laid, and then the optical fibers (10) are separated. The elongation of the cured or sintered resin may be 40% to 210%, preferably 85% to 190%, and the density may be 0.8 g / cm. 3 1.4 g / cm 3 , preferably 1.0 g / cm 3 1.2 g / cm 3 It could be.

[0079] In addition, in order to enable the widthwise rolling or rolling state maintenance of the optical fiber ribbon (100), the elastic cross modulus (Secant Modulus) of the joint (20) may be 5 MPa to 90 MPa, preferably 5 MPa to 74 MPa, at 2.5% strain.

[0080] And, in order to form a plurality of joints (20) intermittently arranged along the length of the optical fiber (10), the resin or the like must be applied accurately and quickly, but must have appropriate flowability to prevent dropping before hardening or sintering. Therefore, the viscosity of the joints (20) may be in the range of 80 mPa·s to 800 mPa·s, preferably 90 mPa·s to 520 mPa·s, at 30°C.

[0081] Figure 7 illustrates a configuration diagram of an optical fiber ribbon winding system according to the present invention.

[0082] As illustrated in FIG. 7, an optical fiber ribbon winding system (1000) according to the present invention is an optical fiber ribbon winding system for winding an optical fiber ribbon (100) in which adjacent optical fibers are mutually bonded to enable a plurality of optical fibers to roll in the width direction, onto a bobbin (200) including a cylindrical spool (210) on which the optical fiber ribbon is wound and flange plates (220) installed at each end of the spool and having a diameter larger than the spool, the system comprising: an optical fiber ribbon supply unit (400) through which the optical fiber ribbon (100) is supplied in the direction of the spool (210) of the bobbin (200); a tension application unit (500) for applying a winding tension (T) to the optical fiber ribbon (100) supplied from the optical fiber ribbon supply unit (400); It may be configured to include a bobbin driving unit (230) that drives the bobbin to wind the optical fiber ribbon onto the bobbin, a control unit (600) that controls the optical fiber ribbon supply unit (400) and the tension applying unit (500).

[0083] The above bobbin driving unit is connected to the bobbin and can rotate the bobbin (200) or move the bobbin (200) in the axial direction. The above bobbin driving unit (230) can be equipped with at least one driving motor for rotating the bobbin (200) in an electric manner.

[0084] Specifically, the bobbin driving unit (230) may drive the bobbin (200) to rotate in one direction to wind the optical fiber ribbon (100) supplied from the optical fiber ribbon supply unit (40) onto the spool (210) or may axially move the bobbin (200) so that the optical fiber ribbon (100) is wound on the spool at a predetermined pitch. In addition, in addition to the method in which the bobbin driving unit (230) provides the axial movement function of the bobbin, the system may be configured to wind the optical fiber ribbon by changing the position of the roller (510), etc., which constitutes the tension application unit (500) described below.

[0085] Here, the longitudinal winding pitch (P) (mm) of the spool (210) of the optical fiber ribbon (100) wound on the spool (210) of the bobbin (200) is configured in a range of 1.05 to 1.30 times the width (W) of the optical fiber ribbon (100) as described above, so as to prevent deformation of the shape of the optical fiber ribbon (100) or to stably maintain the bonding state.

[0086] Accordingly, the control unit (600) can control the position of the roller (510) of the tension application unit or the bobbin driving unit (230) so that the winding pitch (mm) of the optical fiber ribbon (100) spirally wound on the spool (210) of the bobbin (200) is in the range of 1.05 to 1.30 times the width (W) of the optical fiber ribbon.

[0087] The above tension applying unit (500) can apply a winding tension (T) of a predetermined size to the optical fiber ribbon (100) supplied from the optical fiber ribbon supply unit (400) and transmitted toward the bobbin (200).

[0088] The tension application unit (500) may include at least one winding roller (510). The winding roller (510) keeps the winding tension (T) between the spool (210) of the bobbin (200) and the tension application unit (500) constant, and ensures that the optical fiber ribbon (100) supplied from the optical fiber ribbon supply unit (400) is transmitted parallel to the bobbin (200) without being twisted or broken.

[0089] In addition, as described above, the winding roller (510) can be provided so as to be transportable so that the optical fiber ribbon is wound along the longitudinal direction of the spool (210).

[0090] The tension applying unit (500) can be controlled to apply a winding tension (T) to the optical fiber ribbon (100) transmitted toward the bobbin (200). Specifically, the tension applying unit (500) can apply a winding tension (T) per optical fiber in the range of 4 g / fiber to 15 g / fiber to the optical fiber constituting the optical fiber ribbon (100) supplied to the bobbin (200), and preferably, a winding tension (T) per optical fiber in the range of 4 g / fiber to 10 g / fiber can be applied.

[0091] If a winding tension (T) of less than 4 g / fiber is applied to each optical fiber constituting the optical fiber ribbon (100) transmitted to the bobbin (200) through the tension applying unit (500), the optical fiber ribbon (100) may be pulled too loosely during the process of transmitting the optical fiber ribbon (100) to the bobbin (200), causing the optical fiber ribbons (100) to twist each other or optical damage to occur, and after the optical fiber ribbon (100) is wound on the bobbin (200), the winding state of the optical fiber ribbon (100) may not be sufficiently fixed.

[0092] In addition, if the winding tension (T) applied to each optical fiber constituting the optical fiber ribbon (100) through the tension applying unit (500) is less than 4 g / fiber, the winding tension (T) applied to the optical fiber ribbon (100) is insufficient, so that the optical fiber ribbon (100) cannot be stably fixed on the spool (210) of the bobbin (200), and thus the above-described winding pitch (P) (mm) range of the optical fiber ribbon (100), i.e., the winding pitch (P) of the optical fiber ribbon (100) wound on the bobbin (200) cannot be stably maintained in the range of 1.05 to 1.30 times the width (W) of the optical fiber ribbon (100).

[0093] On the other hand, if the winding tension (T) applied to the optical fiber ribbon (100) of the tension applying unit (500) is greater than 15 g / fiber, excessive stress may be applied to each optical fiber constituting the optical fiber ribbon (100), and thus optical loss may occur in the optical fibers constituting the optical fiber ribbon (100) while the optical fiber ribbon (100) is being wound on the bobbin (200) or after winding on the bobbin (200) is completed.

[0094] Accordingly, the optical fiber ribbon winding system (1000) according to the present invention can effectively prevent a deterioration in optical loss characteristics of the optical fiber due to stress applied to the optical fiber constituting the optical fiber ribbon (100) by applying a winding tension (T) in the range of 4 g / fiber to 15 g / fiber to each optical fiber constituting the optical fiber ribbon (100) to be wound onto a bobbin (200) through a tension applying unit (500).

[0095] The above control unit (600) can control the rotational drive or axial movement of the bobbin (200).

[0096] For example, the control unit (600) can control the rotational direction, rotational speed, and axial position of the bobbin (200) so that the optical fiber ribbon (100) is wound layer by layer.

[0097] In addition, the control unit (600) detects when the optical fiber ribbon (100) wound on the spool (210) of the bobbin (200) reaches the end of the spool (210), or changes the moving direction of the bobbin (200) at a predetermined cycle so that the optical fiber ribbon (100) can be wound sequentially on the spool (210) of the bobbin (200) while forming layers.

[0098] At this time, as described above, the control unit (600) can control at least one winding roller (510) provided in the bobbin driving unit (230) or the tension applying unit (500) to configure the winding directions of the optical fiber ribbons (100) of the optical fiber ribbon layers adjacent to each other among the plurality of optical fiber ribbon layers stacked on the spool (210) of the bobbin (200) to be opposite to each other.

[0099] In addition, the control unit (600) controls the tension application unit (500) to apply a tension (T) ranging from 4 g / fiber to 15 g / fiber to each optical fiber constituting the optical fiber ribbon (100) supplied toward the bobbin (200), thereby maintaining a constant range of the winding tension (T) applied to the optical fiber ribbon (100) during the entire process time in which the optical fiber ribbon (200) is wound on the bobbin (200), thereby stably maintaining the structure of the optical fiber ribbon and preventing light loss due to stress during winding.

[0100] While this specification has described preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims below. Therefore, any modified implementation that fundamentally includes the elements of the claims should be considered within the technical scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An optical fiber ribbon in which adjacent optical fibers are mutually bonded to enable a plurality of optical fibers to roll in the width direction; and A bobbin including a cylindrical spool on which the optical fiber ribbon is wound and a flange plate installed at each end of the spool and having a diameter larger than the spool; An optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder, characterized in that the longitudinal winding pitch (mm) of the spool of the optical fiber ribbon spirally wound on the spool of the bobbin is in the range of 1.05 to 1.30 times the width (W) of the optical fiber ribbon.

2. In paragraph 1, An optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder characterized in that the optical fiber ribbon is laminated as a plurality of optical fiber ribbon layers on the spool of the bobbin, and adjacent optical fiber ribbon layers laminated in the radial direction of the spool among the plurality of optical fiber ribbon layers laminated on the spool of the bobbin have winding directions of the optical fiber ribbons that are opposite to each other.

3. In paragraph 1, An optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding, characterized in that the optical fiber ribbon includes a plurality of joints that intermittently joint a pair of optical fibers arranged in parallel along the length direction of the optical fiber.

4. In paragraph 3, An optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body characterized in that a plurality of joints for jointing the nth optical fiber (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) and the n+1th optical fiber among the N optical fibers constituting the optical fiber ribbon are spaced apart at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the optical fibers.

5. In paragraph 3, An optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding body, characterized in that the length of each of the above joints is 5 mm to 15 mm, the period of the above joints is 10 mm to 90 mm, and the length of each non-joined portion arranged between adjacent pairs of the above joints is 5 mm to 75 mm.

6. In paragraph 3, An optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder, characterized in that the longitudinal position of each of the above joints is positioned at the center of the longitudinal position of the adjacent joints.

7. In paragraph 5, An optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder, characterized in that the optical fiber ribbon has a longitudinal length of 10 mm to 30 mm in the non-bonded region where all optical fibers are not bonded by the bonding portion in the width direction.

8. In paragraph 3, The length of each of the above joints is 5 mm to 18 mm, the period of the joints is 24 mm to 84 mm, and the length of each non-joint portion arranged between adjacent pairs of the above joints is 30 mm to 70 mm. An optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder, characterized in that the optical fiber ribbon has a longitudinal length of 3 mm to 15 mm in a non-bonded region where all optical fibers are not bonded by the bonding portion in the width direction.

9. In paragraph 3, An optical fiber ribbon bobbin winder, characterized in that the longitudinal position of each of the above joints is spaced apart from the longitudinal position of an adjacent joint by 1 / N.

10. In paragraph 3, The elongation of the above joint is 40% to 210%, The elastic modulus is 5 MPa to 90 MPa at 2.5% strain and An optical fiber ribbon bobbin winding characterized by a viscosity of 80 mPa·s to 800 mPa·s at 25°C.

11. In an optical fiber ribbon winding system for winding an optical fiber ribbon in which adjacent optical fibers are mutually bonded to enable a plurality of optical fibers to roll in the width direction, the optical fiber ribbon includes a cylindrical spool on which the optical fiber ribbon is wound and a bobbin including flange plates installed at both ends of the spool and having a diameter larger than the spool; An optical fiber ribbon supply unit through which the optical fiber ribbon is supplied in the spool direction of the bobbin; A tension application unit that applies a winding tension to the optical fiber ribbon supplied from the above supply device; A bobbin driving unit provided to rotate or axially move the bobbin; and A control unit including the ribbon supply unit, the tension application unit, and the bobbin driving unit, An optical fiber ribbon winding system characterized in that the control unit controls the tension application unit or the bobbin driving unit so that the optical fiber ribbon wound spirally on the spool of the bobbin has a longitudinal winding pitch (mm) of the spool in a range of 1.05 to 1.30 times the width (W) of the optical fiber ribbon.

12. In paragraph 11, An optical fiber ribbon winding system characterized in that the control unit controls the bobbin driving unit to move the bobbin in the axial direction or at least one roller constituting the tension applying unit to move the bobbin in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the spool of the bobbin.

13. In paragraph 11, An optical fiber ribbon winding system, characterized in that the tension applying unit applies a winding tension of 4 g / fiber to 15 g / fiber to each optical fiber constituting the optical fiber ribbon.

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