Optical fiber coating removal device, external device, optical fiber coating removal system, and optical fiber coating removal method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10816730-B2
Application number	US-201715541947-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2017
Priority date	Feb 14, 2017
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

An optical fiber coating removal device which heats a coating of an optical fiber with a heater and removes the coating with a blade includes a communicator which receives information based on optical fiber type information to specify an optical fiber type selected by a user from among a plurality of optical fiber types, transmitted from an external device to which the optical fiber type information has been input, and a heater which heats a coating of an optical fiber using the received information based on the optical fiber type information. The heater can heat a coating under a plurality of conditions according to the optical fiber type information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical fiber coating removal device in combination with an external device that heats a coating of an optical fiber with a heater and removes the coating with a blade, comprising:
a communicator that receives information based on optical fiber type information that specifies an optical fiber type selected by a user from among a plurality of optical fiber types stored in the external device, transmitted from a first storage disposed in the external device to which the optical fiber type information has been input;
a second storage that stores coating removal information for removing the coating;
a controller that receives, from the communicator, the information based on optical fiber type information and controls at least one of heat temperature and heat time of the heater based on the coating removal information stored in the second storage; and
the heater that heats the coating of the optical fiber using the received information based on the optical fiber type information, and heats the coating under a plurality of conditions according to the optical fiber type information.

2. The optical fiber coating removal device in combination with the external device, according to claim 1 , wherein
the optical fiber type information includes coating heat condition information that specifies a coating heat condition of the optical fiber,
the communicator receives the coating heat condition information as information based on the optical fiber type information, and
the heater heats the coating of the optical fiber under the coating heat condition specified by the received coating heat condition information.

3. The optical fiber coating removal device in combination with the external device, according to claim 1 , wherein
the communicator receives information based on a power-saving operation-setting instruction for the optical fiber coating removal device, transmitted from the external device, and
the heater controls preheating of the heater using the received information based on the power-saving operation-setting instruction.

4. The optical fiber coating removal device in combination with the external device, according to claim 1 , further comprising a buzzer sound outputter that outputs a buzzer sound, wherein
the communicator receives information based on a buzzer sound volume-setting instruction for the optical fiber coating removal device, transmitted from the external device,
the buzzer sound outputter outputs the buzzer sound using the received information based on the buzzer sound volume-setting instruction, and
the buzzer sound outputter outputs the buzzer sound with a plurality of buzzer sound volumes according to the buzzer sound volume-setting instruction.

5. The optical fiber coating removal device in combination with the external device, according to claim 1 , further comprising a maintenance information acquisitor that acquires at least one or more of a capacity of a built-in battery, a number of times of charging and discharging the built-in battery, a number of times of use of the blade, and occurrence of abnormality, serving as maintenance information, wherein
the communicator transmits information based on the acquired maintenance information, and
the external device outputs the maintenance information using the received information based on the maintenance information.

6. The optical fiber coating removal device in combination with the external device, according to claim 1 , wherein
the communicator transmits information based on identification information of the optical fiber coating removal device, and
the external device outputs the identification information of the optical fiber coating removal device using the received information based on the identification information.

7. The optical fiber coating removal device in combination with the external device, according to claim 1 , wherein
the external device is a fusion splicer that performs fusion splicing using a connection program selected out of a plurality of connection programs corresponding to optical fiber types, and inputs information of the optical fiber type included in the connection program selected as the optical fiber type information.

8. The optical fiber coating removal device in combination with the external device, according to claim 2 , wherein
the connection program selected further includes the coating heat condition information of the optical fiber,
the communicator receives the coating heat condition information transmitted from a fusion splicer as information based on the optical fiber type information, and
the heater heats the coating of the optical fiber using the received coating heat condition information under the coating heat condition specified by the coating heat condition information.

9. The optical fiber coating removal device in combination with the external device, according to claim 1 , wherein
the second storage stores the received coating heat condition information as set coating heat condition information, the set coating heat condition information includes the heat temperature and the heat time,
the communicator transmits the set coating heat condition information, and
the external device outputs the received coating heat condition information.

10. An external device in combination with an optical fiber removal device, that inputs information used for heating a coating in the optical fiber coating removal device that heats a coating of an optical fiber with a heater and removes the coating with a blade, comprising:
an inputter that inputs optical fiber type information that specifies an optical fiber type selected by a user from among a plurality of optical fiber types;
a first storage that stores at least one connection program that comprises a discharge heat current for connecting optical fibers; and
a communicator that transmits information based on the input optical fiber type information,
wherein the optical fiber coating removal device comprises:
a second storage that stores coating removal information for removing the coating;
a controller that receives the information based on optical fiber type information and controls at least one of heat temperature and heat time of the heater based on the coating removal information stored in the second storage; and
the heater that heats the coating of the optical fiber using the received information based on the optical fiber type information, and heats the coating under a plurality of conditions according to the optical fiber type information.

11. The external device in combination with an optical fiber removal device, according to claim 10 , wherein
the optical fiber type information includes coating heat condition information that specifies a coating heat condition of the heater,
the communicator transmits the coating heat condition information included in the input optical fiber type information, and
the optical fiber coating removal device receives the coating heat condition information, and heats the coating of the optical fiber using the received coating heat condition information under the coating heat condition specified by the coating heat condition information.

12. The external device in combination with an optical fiber removal device, according to claim 10 , further comprising an outputter that outputs information, wherein
the optical fiber coating removal device detects at least one or more of a capacity of a built-in battery, the number of times of charging and discharging the built-in battery, a number of times of use of the blade, and occurrence of abnormality, serving as maintenance information, and transmits information based on the

Assignees

• Fujikura Ltd

Inventors

• Kawanishi Noriyuki

Classifications

• G02B6/566

  Devices for opening or removing the mantle · CPC title

• G02B6/2553

  Splicing machines, e.g. optical fibre fusion splicer · CPC title

• G02B6/245 Primary

  Removing protective coverings of light guides before coupling · CPC title

• Y10T156/1153

  Temperature change for delamination [e.g., heating during delaminating, etc.] · CPC title

• Y10S156/923

  Delaminating wire or optical fiber laminate, e.g. coaxial cable, optical cable · CPC title