Optical fiber with a color marking

Details Optical fiber with a color marking Optical fiber with a color marking

1996-07-29

1998-08-18

Ngo, John

Optical waveguides

Optical fiber waveguide with cladding

Utilizing multiple core or cladding

385102, G02B 622

Patent

active

057969051

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Techincal Field
The present invention concerns an optical fiber with a coating for the cladding made of several plastic layers, which surrounds the fiber core, and a color marking on or in the outer plastic layer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fibers of this generic type have been known for some time. For color marking and thereby keeping the conductors separate during splicing or connecting, a ring-shaped marking is applied to the outer plastic coating of the conductor, for example by using infrared radiation which hardens the curable plastics, but colored plastic dash or line markings are also used, which are hardened by applying ultraviolet radiation (UV). Since the color-marked fibers require further processing, for example when they are implanted into electrical or optical cables, or into protective tubes made of plastic or steel, or to manufacture fiber ribbons made with these fibers, the usual color markings of today, for example with an IR ring-shaped marking, do not always satisfy the present requirements, for example with respect to wear resistance. Because of the nonhomogeneous rough fiber surface caused by the known ring-shaped marking, there can always be problems when the fiber is processed further; also, an increase in attenuation can often not be avoided when the temperature in the optical transmission path changes. But a simple dash or line marking can have its drawbacks as well since, aside from the increase in technical effort, such color markings are often difficult to distinguish.
If cables with a higher number of fibers, for example more than 12, are used because of the increasing need for optical transmission paths, the precise identification of the fibers being used already produces difficulties because not enough different distinguishable colors are available. This applies equally to optical fibers made of glass, e.g. quartz glass, and to the plastic fibers used increasingly today for certain transmission paths.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Starting from this state of the art, it is an object of the invention to ensure a precise identification of any number of fibers, and beyond that to ensure that the color markings applied during the manufacturing process remain, regardless of subsequent further processing steps. The transmission properties of the fibers must not be influenced by the chosen color markings during temperature changes.
This task object is fulfilled according to the invention in that the color marking is covered by a further transparent or translucent layer. This ensures for example that a color marking of applied rings is not worn off from the fiber surface, or from the surface of the coating surrounding the fibers, during further processing.
Special advantages are obtained by further development of the invention, in that the further layer extends along the entire fiber length. It also ensures the protection of the color marking against mechanical wear; the smooth surface protection with comparable outer diameters ensures further processing of the marked fiber without any problems. The corresponding selection of materials needed for the further layer provide it with high strength, which on the other hand means that the often unavoidable increase in mechanical strains due to further processing of the fiber does not impair the optical properties of the optical fiber; to the contrary, an improvement of the transmission characteristics can be seen. In addition, the corresponding selection of materials allows the further layer to be used as an additional protection against moisture and solvents, which means that other application areas in optical transmission technology can be reached with a fiber constructed according to the invention. Since each color marking is mechanically protected by the translucent or transparent further layer of the invention immediately after the fiber is produced, i.e. before any further processing of the optical fiber, any color combination and/or any marking configurations can also be securely applied to the f

REFERENCES:
patent: 5146529 (1992-09-01), Mizutani
patent: 5333228 (1994-07-01), Kingstone
patent: 5345531 (1994-09-01), Keplinger et al.
patent: 5379363 (1995-01-01), Bonicel et al.
patent: 5485539 (1996-01-01), Mills
Japanese Abstract 57 040203 (Appln. JP800114842 800822); Mar. 1982; Yasunari.

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