Method of manufacturing optical fiber and apparatus of manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016185057-A1
Application number	US-201514801284-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 16, 2015
Priority date	Dec 26, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of manufacturing an optical fiber including drawing an optical fiber preform and forming a bare optical fiber, disposing a coating layer formed of a resin on an outer circumference of the bare optical fiber, and curing the coating layer and obtaining an optical fiber is provided. A direction of the bare optical fiber is changed by a direction changer in any position from drawing the optical fiber to disposing the coating layer. In a flow rate of a fluid from a blowout port, an average flow rate or a highest flow rate in an inlet wire portion and an outlet wire portion is higher than a lowest flow rate of the fluid in an intermediate portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of manufacturing an optical fiber, comprising:
drawing an optical fiber preform and forming a bare optical fiber; disposing a coating layer formed of a resin on an outer circumference of the bare optical fiber; and curing the coating layer and obtaining an optical fiber, wherein a direction of the bare optical fiber is changed by a direction changer in any position from drawing the optical fiber to disposing the coating layer, the direction changer includes a guide groove which guides the bare optical fiber, a blowout port of a fluid which floats the bare optical fiber wired along the guide groove is formed along the guide groove in the guide groove, and an average flow rate or a highest flow rate in an inlet wire portion of the bare optical fiber to the guide groove and an outlet wire portion from the guide groove is faster than a lowest flow rate of the fluid in an intermediate portion between the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion in a flow rate of the fluid from the blowout port.

2 . The method of manufacturing an optical fiber according to claim 1 ,
wherein the average flow rate or the highest flow rate of the fluid in the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion is 1.2 to 5 times the lowest flow rate of the fluid in the intermediate portion.

3 . The method of manufacturing an optical fiber according to claim 1 ,
wherein the flow rate of the fluid from the blowout port is adjusted by defining a pressure loss at the time of blowing out the fluid from the blowout port.

4 . The method of manufacturing an optical fiber according to claim 2 ,
wherein the flow rate of the fluid from the blowout port is adjusted by defining a pressure loss at the time of blowing out the fluid from the blowout port.

5 . The method of manufacturing an optical fiber according to claim 1 ,
wherein a width of the blowout port of the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion is narrower than a width of the blowout port of the intermediate portion, and the average flow rate or the highest flow rate of the fluid in the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion is faster than the lowest flow rate of the fluid in the intermediate portion.

6 . The method of manufacturing an optical fiber according to claim 2 ,
wherein a width of the blowout port of the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion is narrower than a width of the blowout port of the intermediate portion, and the average flow rate or the highest flow rate of the fluid in the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion is faster than the lowest flow rate of the fluid in the intermediate portion.

7 . The method of manufacturing an optical fiber according to claim 1 ,
wherein an inner space portion which transports the fluid to the blowout port is ensured in the direction changer, the inner space portion includes a first space portion which is in communication with the blowout port of the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion, and a second space portion which is in communication with the blowout port of the intermediate portion, and a supplied amount of the fluid with respect to the first space portion and the second space portion is adjusted, and the average flow rate or the highest flow rate of the fluid in the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion is faster than the lowest flow rate of the fluid in the intermediate portion.

8 . The method of manufacturing an optical fiber according to claim 2 ,
wherein an inner space portion which transports the fluid to the blowout port is ensured in the direction changer, the inner space portion includes a first space portion which is in communication with the blowout port of the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion, and a second space portion which is in communication with the blowout port of the intermediate portion, and a supplied amount of the fluid with respect to the first space portion and the second space portion is adjusted, and the average flow rate or the highest flow rate of the fluid in the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion is faster than the lowest flow rate of the fluid in the intermediate portion.

9 . The method of manufacturing an optical fiber according to claim 1 ,
wherein an inner space portion which transports the fluid to the blowout port is ensured in the direction changer, the inner space portion includes a first space portion which is in communication with the blowout port of the inlet wire portion, a second space portion which is in communication with the blowout port of the intermediate portion, and a third space portion which is in communication with the blowout port of the outlet wire portion, and a supplied amount of the fluid in the first space portion to the third space portion is adjusted, and the average flow rate or the highest flow rate of the fluid in the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion is faster than the lowest flow rate of the fluid in the intermediate portion.

10 . The method of manufacturing an optical fiber according to claim 2 ,
wherein an inner space portion which transports the fluid to the blowout port is ensured in the direction changer, the inner space portion includes a first space portion which is in communication with the blowout port of the inlet wire portion, a second space portion which is in communication with the blowout port of the intermediate portion, and a third space portion which is in communication with the blowout port of the outlet wire portion, and a supplied amount of the fluid in the first space portion to the third space portion is adjusted, and the average flow rate or the highest flow rate of the fluid in the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion is faster than the lowest flow rate of the fluid in the intermediate portion.

11 . The method of manufacturing an optical fiber according to claim 1 ,
wherein a pressure loss at the time of blowing out the fluid from the blowout port in the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion increases compared to the pressure loss in the intermediate portion by forming a narrow portion in communication with the blowout port of the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion in the direction changer, and the average flow rate or the highest flow rate of the fluid in the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion is faster than the lowest flow rate of the fluid in the intermediate portion.

12 . The method of manufacturing an optical fiber according to claim 2 ,
wherein a pressure loss at the time of blowing out the fluid from the blowout port in the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion increases compared to the pressure loss in the intermediate portion by forming a narrow portion in communication with the blowout port of the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion in the direction changer, and the average flow rate or the highest flow rate of the fluid in the inlet wire portion and the outlet wire portion is faster than the lowest flow rate of the fluid in the intermediate portion.

13 . An apparatus of manufacturing an optical fiber, comprising:
a drawing portion configured to draw an optical fiber perform and form a bare optical fiber; a coating portion configured to dispose a coating layer formed of a resin on an outer circumference of the bare optical fiber; and a curing portion configured to cure the coating layer, wherein a direction changer which changes a direction of the bare optical fiber is disposed in any position from the drawing portion to the coating portion, the direction changer includes a guide groove which guides the bare optical fiber, a blowou

Assignees

• Fujikura Ltd

Inventors

• Okada Kenji

Classifications

• B29D11/00721 Primary

  involving preforms for the manufacture of light guides · CPC title

• B29D11/00875

  on light guides · CPC title

• C03C25/106

  Single coatings · CPC title

• C03B37/032

  for glass optical fibres · CPC title

• C03B37/0253 Primary

  Controlling or regulating (for glass fibre manufacture in general C03B37/07) · CPC title