Optical fiber manufacturing apparatus and method of starting optical fiber manufacturing apparatus

• US 10,641,945 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2019
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Petkovsek, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US16/575,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20200012038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 229 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00721 involving preforms for the manufacture of light guides
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00875 on light guides
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/023 Fibres composed of different sorts of glass, e.g. glass optical fibres, made by the double crucible technique
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/0253 Controlling or regulating for glass fibre manufacture in general C03B37/07
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/027 Fibres composed of different sorts of glass, e.g. glass optical fibresC03B37/0253, C03B37/028 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/032 for glass optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 25/106 Single coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 25/12 General methods of coating; Devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0065 Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02033 Core or cladding made from organic material, e.g. polymeric material G02B1/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02395 Glass optical fibre with a protective coating, e.g. two layer polymer coating deposited directly on a silica cladding surface during fibre manufacture G02B6/02052, G02B6/02057, G02B6/024, G02B6/032, G02B6/105, G02B6/14 take precedence; coating on fibre gratings G02B6/02104; multilayer core or cladding G02B6/036; reinforcing splice joints G02B6/2558; optical cables, i.e. comprising protective structures external to the protective coating such as a jacket or plural coated optical fibres G02B6/44; coating of glass to obtain optical fibres C03C25/104

Abstract

An optical fiber manufacturing apparatus includes a heating furnace configured to heat and melt an optical fiber preform; a pulling mechanism configured to adjust an outer diameter of a glass optical fiber by drawing out the glass optical fiber from the optical fiber preform melted through the heating by the heating furnace, and to draw the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter; a coating mechanism configured to apply a predetermined resin on an outer circumference of the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter; and a transport mechanism configured to returnably retract the coating mechanism from a passage route of the glass optical fiber.

Claims

1. An optical fiber manufacturing apparatus, comprising:

a heating furnace configured to thermally melt an optical fiber preform;

a pulling mechanism configured to adjust an outer diameter of a glass optical fiber by drawing out the glass optical fiber from the optical fiber preform melted through heating by the heating furnace, and to draw the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter;

a coating mechanism configured to apply a predetermined resin on an outer circumference of the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter; and

a transport mechanism configured to returnably retract the coating mechanism from a passage route of the glass optical fiber.

2. The optical fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a measuring device configured to measure the outer diameter of the glass optical fiber between the heating furnace and the coating mechanism.

3. The optical fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a hardware processor configured to control the pulling mechanism, based on the outer diameter of the glass optical fiber measured by the measuring device.

4. The optical fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the measuring device further measures a passage position of the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter, and

a control unit controls a return position of the coating mechanism, based on the measured passage position of the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter.

5. The optical fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, comprising:

a holding mechanism for holding the optical fiber preform and adjusting a relative position of the optical fiber preform to the heating furnace, wherein

a control unit controls the holding mechanism to separate the optical fiber preform from a heater of the heating furnace, after stopping the draw-out of the glass optical fiber.

6. The optical fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pulling mechanism includes a capstan configured to allow the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter to be wound therearound.

7. The optical fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coating mechanism includes a die having a through hole that allows the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter to pass therethrough.

8. The optical fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism includes

a support configured to support the coating mechanism, and

a driver configured to pneumatically, hydraulically, or electrically move the supported coating mechanism closer to or away from a passage route of the glass optical fiber.

9. The optical fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the measuring device includes a light source and a light detector that are arranged to allow a passage route of the glass optical fiber to be interposed therebetween.

10. A start-up method for an optical fiber manufacturing apparatus, which is to thermally melt an optical fiber preform by a heating furnace;

draw, by a pulling mechanism, a glass optical fiber having a desired outer diameter from the optical fiber preform;

apply, by a coating mechanism, a predetermined resin on an outer circumference of the glass optical fiber that has been drawn; and

manufacture the optical fiber having a coating layer formed on the outer circumference by curing of the predetermined resin, the method comprising;

retracting, by the pulling mechanism, the coating mechanism from a passage route of the glass optical fiber drawn out from the optical fiber preform;

drawing out, by the pulling mechanism, the glass optical fiber from the optical fiber preform such that an outer diameter of the glass optical fiber is adjusted; and

returning the coating mechanism onto a passage route of the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter.

11. The start-up method for the optical fiber manufacturing apparatus, according to claim 10, the method further comprising:

measuring the outer diameter of the glass optical fiber adjusted by the pulling mechanism;

stopping the draw-out of the glass optical fiber by the pulling mechanism, if the measured outer diameter of the glass optical fiber is less than a diameter of an insertion hole of the coating mechanism; and

cutting the glass optical fiber that has been stopped from being drawn out and has been adjusted in outer diameter, wherein

when returning the coating mechanism, the coating mechanism is returned onto the passage route of the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter, after the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter is cut.

12. The start-up method for the optical fiber manufacturing apparatus, according to claim 11, the method further comprising:

measuring a passage position of the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter by the pulling mechanism, wherein

when returning the coating mechanism, a return position of the coating mechanism is controlled, based on the measured passage position of the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter.

13. The start-up method for the optical fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a relative position of the optical fiber preform to the heating furnace is adjusted such that the optical fiber preform is separated from a heater of the heating furnace after the draw-out of the glass optical fiber has been stopped.

14. The start-up method for the optical fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a relative position of the optical fiber preform to the heating furnace is adjusted such that the optical fiber preform is separated from a heater of the heating furnace after the draw-out of the glass optical fiber has been stopped.

15. The start-up method for the optical fiber manufacturing apparatus, according to claim 10, the method further comprising:

measuring a passage position of the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter by the pulling mechanism, wherein

when returning the coating mechanism, a return position of the coating mechanism is controlled, based on the measured passage position of the glass optical fiber that has been adjusted in outer diameter.