US 2025/0197271 A1 · METHOD OF MANUFACTURING OPTICAL FIBER AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING OPTICAL FIBER

Abstract

This optical fiber manufacturing method comprises: melting an optical fiber preform and drawing a bare optical fiber; cooling the bare optical fiber with a plurality of contactless guides while changing the direction of the bare optical fiber with the plurality of contactless guides; coating the bare optical fiber with a resin. Each contactless guide has, along an outer peripheral surface thereof, a guide portion which can wind a portion of the bare optical fiber. The guide portion is provided with a blow-out port that blows out a gas for causing the bare optical fiber to float. The position of at least one contactless guide among the plurality of contactless guides is adjusted to increase or decrease the winding length of the bare optical fiber relative to the plurality of contactless guides, thereby controlling the cooling performance of the bare optical fiber.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of manufacturing an optical fiber, the method comprising:

melting an optical fiber preform and drawing a bare optical fiber;
cooling the bare optical fiber by a plurality of contactless guides while changing a direction of the bare optical fiber by the plurality of contactless guides;
and
coating the bare optical fiber with a resin,
wherein each of the contactless guides includes a guide portion extending along an outer peripheral surface, the guide portion being configured to allow a portion of the bare optical fiber to be wound around the guide portion, and the guide portion has an outlet through which a gas for floating the bare optical fiber is blown out, and
wherein a capacity of cooling the bare optical fiber is controlled by adjusting a position of at least one contactless guide of the plurality of contactless guides and increasing or decreasing a winding length of the bare optical fiber with respect to the plurality of contactless guides.

3 more elements

An optical-fiber manufacturing apparatus comprising:

a melting device configured to melt an optical fiber preform to draw a bare optical fiber from the optical fiber preform;
a cooling mechanism configured to cool the bare optical fiber;
and
a coating device configured to coat the bare optical fiber with a resin,
wherein the cooling mechanism includes a plurality of contactless guides configured to change a traveling direction of the bare optical fiber,
wherein each of the contactless guides includes a guide portion extending along an outer peripheral surface, the guide portion being configured to allow a portion of the bare optical fiber to be wound around the guide portion, and the guide portion has an outlet through which a gas for floating the bare optical fiber is blown out, and
wherein at least one contactless guide of the plurality of contactless guides is a moving contactless guide configured to be movable to increase or decrease a winding length of the bare optical fiber with respect to the guide portion.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of manufacturing optical fiber and apparatus for manufacturing optical fiber

Life of this patent

Method of manufacturing optical fiber and apparatus for manufacturing optical fiber

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18