Lighting plastic optical fiber and method of manufacturing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9772443-B2
Application number	US-201415032081-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2014
Priority date	Nov 1, 2013
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

An optical fiber is a linear radiator uniform in the longer direction thereof, and a lighting device uses the optical fiber. The optical fiber is a lighting fiber having a core and a cladding. In the fiber, as the cladding, there is used a polymer obtained by polymerizing a polymerizing ingredient containing 90% or more by weight of vinylidene fluoride, and the cladding has a crystallinity of 45% to 52%.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lighting plastic optical fiber comprising a core and a cladding and which lights from a side surface of the fiber, wherein the cladding comprises a polymer obtained by polymerizing a polymerizing ingredient containing 90% or more by weight of vinylidene fluoride, and the cladding has a crystallinity of 45% to 52%.

2. The lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the cladding has a thickness of 3.0 μm to 15.0 μm.

3. A method of manufacturing the lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 2 , comprising: subjecting a material which is to be a core and a material which is to be a cladding to conjugate melt spinning, wherein the temperature (T) for the conjugate melt spinning and the discharge rate (W) of the polymer of the cladding satisfy Expression (1):
280 ≦T/W≦ 1500  (1)

where T is the temperature (° C.) for the spinning; and
W is the discharge rate (g/minute) of the polymer of the cladding per line of the fiber.

4. A lighting plastic optical fiber bundle, comprising a plurality of bundled lines of the lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 2 .

5. An optical fiber lighting device, comprising the lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 2 , and a light source connected to at least one end of the plastic optical fiber.

6. An optical fiber sensor, comprising, in at least one portion thereof, the lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 2 .

7. An optical fiber sheet, comprising, in at least one portion thereof, the lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 2 .

8. An optical fiber fabric, comprising, in at least one portion thereof, the lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 2 .

9. An optical fiber knitting, comprising, in at least one portion thereof, the lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 2 .

10. A method of manufacturing the lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 1 , comprising: subjecting a material which is to be a core and a material which is to be a cladding to conjugate melt spinning, wherein the temperature (T) for the conjugate melt spinning and the discharge rate (W) of the polymer of the cladding satisfy Expression (1):
280 ≦T/W≦ 1500  (1)

where T is the temperature (° C.) for the spinning; and
W is the discharge rate (g/minute) of the polymer of the cladding per line of the fiber.

11. A lighting plastic optical fiber bundle, comprising a plurality of bundled lines of the lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 1 .

12. An optical fiber lighting device, comprising the lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 1 , and a light source connected to at least one end of the plastic optical fiber.

13. An optical fiber sensor, comprising, in at least one portion thereof, the lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 1 .

14. An optical fiber sheet, comprising, in at least one portion thereof, the lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 1 .

15. An optical fiber fabric, comprising, in at least one portion thereof, the lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 1 .

16. An optical fiber knitting, comprising, in at least one portion thereof, the lighting plastic optical fiber according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Toray Industries

Inventors

• Maeda Hironobu
• Kamei Ryuichi
• Sato Shinji

Classifications

• B29K2027/14

  PVF, i.e. polyvinyl fluoride · CPC title

• G02B6/001 Primary

  the light being emitted along at least a portion of the lateral surface of the fibre · CPC title

• G02B6/02033 Primary

  Core or cladding made from organic material, e.g. polymeric material (G02B1/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29K2033/12

  Polymers of methacrylic acid esters, e.g. PMMA, i.e. polymethylmethacrylate · CPC title

• G02B6/04

  formed by bundles of fibres (G02B6/24 takes precedence) · CPC title