Optical fiber drawing method and drawing furnace

• US 6,735,983 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2001
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Taru, Toshiki, Tsuchiya, Ichiro, Nagayama, Katsuya, Kuwahara, Kazuya, Tsuneishi, Katsuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFFMANN, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US09/830,939
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 654/34, 653/84, 653/77, 654/84, 654/88, 654/35, 655/37
• US Class Current: 65/377
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2205/63 Ohmic resistance heaters, e.g. carbon or graphite resistance heaters
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2205/70 Draw furnace insulation
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2205/72 Controlling or measuring the draw furnace temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2205/80 Means for sealing the preform entry or upper end of the furnace
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/0253 Controlling or regulating for glass fibre manufacture in general C03B37/07
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/02736 Means for supporting, rotating or feeding the tubes, rods, fibres or filaments to be drawn, e.g. fibre draw towers, preform alignment, butt-joining preforms or dummy parts during feeding uniting rods or tubes C03B23/207
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/029 Furnaces therefor

Abstract

A fiber drawing method according to the present invention is a drawing method of optical fiber for drawing an optical fiber 14 from one end of a fiber preform 13 by softening with heat, wherein the fiber preform 13 is set in a semi-closed space 10, 20 opening in part at a lower end in a fiber drawing furnace, the fiber preform 13 is heated by a heater 15 disposed on the lower end side of this semi-closed space 10, 20, and fiber drawing is carried out with adjusting a quantity of heat dissipation from the upper portion 20 of this semi-closed space.

Claims

1. An optical fiber drawing method comprising steps of setting an optical fiber preform in a furnace core tube and a preform container connected to an upper portion of the furnace core tube and drawing an optical fiber from one end of said preform by heating and softening, wherein:

an upper portion of said preform container is provided with an auxiliary heater and cooling means for cooling said upper portion of said preform container and said drawing step includes adjusting a cooling quantity by said cooling means; and

said auxiliary heater is disposed movable relative to an outer wall of said preform container and said adjustment of the cooling quantity by said cooling means includes adjustment of a distance between the outer wall of said preform container and said auxiliary heater.

2. An optical fiber drawing method comprising steps of setting an optical fiber preform in a furnace core tube and a preform container connected to an upper portion of the furnace core tube and drawing an optical fiber from one end of said preform by heating and softening, wherein:

an upper portion of said preform container is provided with an auxiliary heater and cooling means for cooling said upper portion of said preform container, and said drawing step includes adjusting a cooling quantity by said cooling means; and

said auxiliary heater is placed on an outer wall of said preform container, a heat insulator is disposed movable around the auxiliary heater, and said adjustment of the cooling quantity by said cooling means includes adjustment of a distance between the outer wall of said preform container and said heat insulator.

3. An optical fiber drawing furnace comprising a furnace core tube through which a fiber preform penetrates vertically, a heater disposed around said furnace core tube, and a preform container connected to an upper portion of said furnace core tube so as to be integral with said furnace core tube to form a semi-closed space opening in part at a lower end, for housing said fiber preform inside,

said fiber drawing furnace further comprising:

an auxiliary heater disposed at an upper portion of said preform container;

cooling means for cooling the upper portion of said preform container; and

at least one temperature sensor for measuring an internal temperature in the upper portion of said preform container, wherein said cooling means includes a control unit for adjusting the cooling quantity, based on the temperature measured by said temperature sensor,

wherein said cooling means is air-providing means for supplying cooling air into clearance between said auxiliary heater and an outer wall of said preform container.

4. An optical fiber drawing furnace comprising a furnace core tube through which a fiber preform penetrates vertically, a heater disposed around said furnace core tube, and a preform container connected to an upper portion of said furnace core tube so as to be integral with said furnace core tube to form a semi-closed space opening in part at a lower end, for housing said fiber preform inside,

said fiber drawing furnace further comprising:

an auxiliary heater disposed at an upper portion of said preform container;

cooling means for cooling the upper portion of said preform container; and

at least one temperature sensor for measuring an internal temperature in the upper portion of said preform container, wherein said cooling means includes a control unit for adjusting the cooling quantity, based on the temperature measured by said temperature sensor,

wherein said cooling means comprises heater moving means for moving said auxiliary heater to change a distance relative to said preform container.

5. An optical fiber drawing furnace according to claim 4, further comprising air-providing means for supplying cooling air into clearance between said preform container and said auxiliary heater, created by movement of said auxiliary heater.

6. An optical fiber drawing furnace comprising a furnace core tube through which a fiber preform penetrates vertically, a heater disposed around said furnace core tube and a preform container connected to an upper portion of said furnace core tube so as to be integral with said furnace core tube to form a semi-closed space opening in part at a lower end, for housing said fiber preform inside,

said fiber drawing furnace further comprising:

an auxiliary heater disposed at an upper portion of said preform container;

cooling means for cooling the upper portion of said preform container; and

at least one temperature sensor for measuring an internal temperature in the upper portion of said preform container, wherein said cooling means includes a control unit for adjusting the cooling quantity, based on the temperature measured by said temperature sensor,

wherein said auxiliary heater comprises a heating element and a heat insulator formed around the heating element, said cooling means is insulator moving means for moving said heat insulator to change a distance relative to said preform container.

7. An optical fiber drawing furnace according to claim 6, further comprising air-providing means for supplying cooling air into clearance between said heat insulator and said auxiliary heater, created by movement of said heat insulator.