Method of winding optical fiber, method of manufacturing bobbin-wound optical fiber, optical fiber winder, and method of manufacturing optical fiber strand

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11099345-B2
Application number	US-201916357028-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2019
Priority date	Apr 27, 2018
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

A method of winding an optical fiber includes winding the optical fiber using a bobbin that includes: a body portion having two end portions; and a pair of flanges, respectively disposed at the end portions in an axial direction of the body portion. An inner surface of each of the flanges is inclined toward an outer side in the axial direction and toward a radial outer side. The method further includes guiding the optical fiber to the bobbin using a final pulley. The bobbin and the final pulley reciprocate relative to each other in the axial direction at a traverse speed V (mm/sec) such that 0.0050≤θ (rad)≤0.1000, where θ is a delay angle, θ=arctan (V/L), and L (mm) is a distance from a winding position of the optical fiber at the bobbin to the final pulley in a radial direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of winding an optical fiber, comprising:
winding the optical fiber using a bobbin that comprises:
a body portion having two end portions; and
a pair of flanges, respectively disposed at the end portions in an axial direction of the body portion, wherein
an inner surface of each of the flanges is inclined toward an outer side in the axial direction and toward a radial outer side, and

guiding the optical fiber to the bobbin using a final pulley, wherein
the bobbin and the final pulley reciprocate relative to each other in the axial direction at a traverse speed V (mm/sec) such that 0.0050<0 (rad)<0.1000, where
θ is a delay angle,
θ=arctan (V/L), and
L (mm) is a distance from a winding position of the optical fiber at the bobbin to the final pulley in a radial direction, and

a path line of the optical fiber wound around the bobbin from the final pulley is inclined to the delay angle θ with respect to a plane perpendicular to a central axis of the bobbin, such that a winding position at which the optical fiber is wound around the bobbin is located in a more rearward position than a separation position at which the optical fiber is separated from the final pulley in a traveling direction that the final pulley travels with respect to the bobbin with the traverse speed V.

2. The method of winding the optical fiber according to claim 1 , wherein
a reversal position where a moving direction of the reciprocation is reversed at the respective flanges is adjusted to be further outward in the axial direction each time the reciprocation is performed N times, where N is a natural number of 2 to 5.

3. The method of winding the optical fiber according to claim 2 , wherein 0.0050≤θ≤0.0500, and N is 3 to 5.

4. A method of manufacturing a bobbin-wound optical fiber comprising:
using the method of winding the optical fiber according to claim 1 .

5. An optical fiber winder comprising:
a bobbin mounting portion where a bobbin is mounted, wherein the bobbin comprises:
a body portion having two end portions; and
a pair of flanges, respectively disposed at the end portions in an axial direction of the body portion, wherein
an inner surface of each of the flanges is inclined toward an outer side in the axial direction and toward a radial outer side;

a final pulley that guides an optical fiber to the bobbin; and
a traverse mechanism that relatively reciprocates the bobbin and the final pulley in the axial direction at a traverse speed V (mm/sec), wherein
the traverse mechanism reciprocates the bobbin or the final pulley such that 0.0050<0 (rad)≤0.1000, where
θ is a delay angle,
θ=arctan (V/L), and
L (mm) is a distance from a winding position of the optical fiber at the bobbin to the final pulley in a radial direction, and

a path line of the optical fiber wound around the bobbin from the final pulley is inclined to the delay angle θ with respect to a plane perpendicular to a central axis of the bobbin, such that a winding position at which the optical fiber is wound around the bobbin is located in a more rearward position than a separation position at which the optical fiber is separated from the final pulley in a traveling direction that the final pulley travels with respect to the bobbin with the traverse speed V.

6. An optical fiber strand manufacturing apparatus comprising:
a drawing unit where an optical fiber preform is drawn to form a bare optical fiber;
a coater that forms the optical fiber strand by disposing a coating layer on an outer circumference of the bare optical fiber;
a take-up unit that takes up the optical fiber strand; and
the optical fiber winder according to claim 5 .

Assignees

• Fujikura Ltd

Inventors

• Okada Kenji

Classifications

• B65H54/2803

  with a traversely moving package · CPC title

• B65H55/04

  characterised by method of winding · CPC title

• C03B37/032

  for glass optical fibres · CPC title

• B65H54/2884

  Microprocessor-controlled traversing devices in so far the control is not special to one of the traversing devices of groups B65H54/2803 - B65H54/325 or group B65H54/38 · CPC title

• B65H75/14

  with two end flanges · CPC title