The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Tomohiro Ishimura

Hiroki Tanaka

Yutaka Hoshino

Yoshihiro Arashitani

Kenji Yokomizo

Hirotaka Watanabe

Takeshi Yagi

Naoki Nakagawa

Shunichi Matsushita

Masaki Iwama

Shinya Hamaguchi

Yuji Aoyagi

Eisuke Otani

Yohei Endo

Yukihiko Shibata

Provided is an optical fiber ribbon and an optical fiber cable, which are adaptable to manufacture at a high velocity, in the intermittent connecting type optical fiber ribbon obtained by adhering and connecting adjacent colored optical fibers by intermittent connecting portions. In an optical fiber ribbonof the present invention, since, in addition to polyol having a weight average molecular weight in a specific range, rheology control agent is contained in a specific range in a material forming an intermittent connecting portion, the Newtonian region between a low shear rate region and a high shear rate region of the material forming the intermittent connecting portioncan be adjusted. Thus, scattering of the material due to a centrifugal force generated by rotation of an application roll that applies the material at the time of manufacture and the like can be suppressed, and the application amount to colored optical fibercan be stabilized. In addition, the optical fiber ribboncan maintain suppression of such scattering and the like even in the manufacture at a high linear velocity.

Optical fiber ribbon and optical fiber cable

A method for manufacturing an intermittent bonding type optical fiber ribbon which is capable of forming non-connection portions and intermittent connection portions between adjacent coated optical fibers formed into an optical fiber ribbon by performing a laser processing for the ribbon through irradiation with a pulse laser light, thereby making it possible to rapidly form the intermittent connection portions and the non-connection portions while maintaining high linear velocity of the coated optical fiber. The non-connection portions and the intermittent connection portions are formed in the obtained intermittent bonding type optical fiber ribbon through the irradiation with the pulse laser light, so the intermittent bonding type optical fiber ribbon becomes the intermittent bonding type optical fiber ribbon, which is capable of securing operability during collective connection and surely being subjected to an intermediate branching without damaging cable characteristics during high density mounting.

Method for manufacturing intermittent bonding type optical fiber ribbon and intermittent bonding type optical fiber ribbon

An optical fiber ribbon is intermittently connected in a length direction by an intermittent connection which includes a polyol having a weight-average molecular weight of 3000 to 4000 in a specific amount relative to the entire intermittent connection and which has Young's modulus at 23&#xb0; C. within a specific range. When collectively unitizing optical fiber ribbons to form an optical fiber cable, an optical fiber ribbon is formed which maintains advantages of the optical fiber ribbon and which prevents cracks of the intermittent connection and detachment of the intermittent connection from a colored optical fiber core when the cable is subjected to repetitive ironing.

Two bundle materials are provided on the outer periphery of a plurality of optical fibers. The bundle materials are twisted back while reversing the winding from front to back and vice versa to thus wind the bundle materials around the plurality of optical fibers. That is, the bundle materials are not wound spirally around the plurality of optical fibers. The bundle materials are bonded at a bonding portion where both bundle materials intersect. The bonding portion is provided along a center line of an optical fiber unit. The bundle materials are arranged in ranges which are each approximately 180&#xb0; and partitioned by the center line.

Optical fiber unit, optical fiber cable, and method for manufacturing optical fiber unit

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Tomohiro Ishimura