A method of manufacturing an optical fiber of the invention includes: preparing one or more direction changers; drawing the bare optical fiber from an optical fiber preform; providing a coated layer on a periphery of the bare optical fiber; obtaining an optical fiber by curing the coated layer; changing the direction of the bare optical fiber at the position between the bare-optical-fiber formation position and the coated-layer provision position; detecting the position of the bare optical fiber in at least one of the direction changers; and adjusting the introduction flow rate of the fluid into the direction changer based on positional information obtained by the detection.

A method of drawing a material into sheet form includes forming a preform comprising at least one material as a large aspect ratio block wherein a first transverse dimension of the preform is much greater than a second transverse dimension substantially perpendicular to the first transverse dimension. A furnace having substantially linearly opposed heating elements one spaced from the other is provided and the heating elements are energized to apply heat to the preform to create a negative thermal gradient from an exterior surface along the first transverse dimension of the preform inward toward a central plane of the preform. The preform is drawn in such a manner that the material substantially maintains its first transverse dimension and deforms across its second transverse dimension.

Aspects of the embodiments are directed to systems and methods for forming an optical fiber in a low gravity environment, and an optical fiber formed in a low gravity environment. The system can include a preform holder configured to secure a preform; a heating element secured to a heating element stage and residing adjacent the preform holder; a heating element stage motor configured to move the heating element stage; a tension sensor; a spool; a spool tension motor coupled to the spool and configured to rotate the spool; and a control system communicably coupled to the heating element stage motor and the spool tension motor and configured to control the movement of the heating element stage based on a rotational speed of the spool. The optical fiber can include a fluoride composition, such ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF (ZBLAN), and can be characterized by an insertion loss in a range from 13 dB/1000 km to 120 dB/1000 km.

In a backlight module, a diffusive structure and a prism structure are replaced by a diffusive prism film formed on a substrate and transferred via In-Mold Decoration by Roller (IMR) to a light guide body via injection molding. A reflection film is also transferred to an opposite side of the light guide body via the same way. In such way, optical films may be readily transferred to the light guide body via two-side IMR during the process of injection molding of the light guide body, saving room taken by substrates of the optical components.

A method of manufacturing a light guide plate includes steps of cutting a light guide plate base material with a frame-shaped die into a die-cut plate 50 including side surfaces each having a rectangular shape and performing thermal-imprinting process. In thermal-imprinting process, a processing surface 60a of a plate surface of a heated processing board 60 is pressed against one of the side surfaces 52 of the die-cut plate 50 to thermally imprint a pattern of the processing surface 60a of the processing board 60 on the one of the side surfaces 52 of the die-cut plate 50. The processing surface 60a having a shape that is recessed more at a portion thereof opposite a middle of a long dimension of the one of the side surfaces 52 than a portion thereof opposite ends of the long dimension of the one of the side surfaces 52 is pressed against the side surface 52.

A thermoplastic filament comprising multiple polymers of differing flow temperatures in a geometric arrangement and an interior channel containing a structural or functional thread therein is described. A method for producing such a filament is also described. Because of the difference in flow temperatures, there exists a temperature range at which one polymer is mechanically stable while the other is flowable. This property is extremely useful for creating thermoplastic monofilament feedstock for three-dimensionally printed parts, wherein the mechanically stable polymer enables geometric stability while the flowable polymer can fill gaps and provide strong bonding and homogenization between deposited material lines and layers. These multimaterial filaments can be produced via thermal drawing from a thermoplastic preform, which itself can be three-dimensionally printed. Furthermore, the preform can be printed with precisely controlled and complex geometries, enabling the creation of a filament or fiber with an interior thread contained within the outer, printed filament or fiber. This thread adds structural reinforcement or functional properties, such as electrical conductivity or optical waveguiding, to the filament.

Provided are a thermoplastic resin shaped-article in which vacancies with satisfactory light emission efficiency are formed, and a thermoplastic resin light guide that uses the thermoplastic resin shaped-article. Pulse laser irradiation is performed in a state in which the pulse laser is focused to an inner region of a primary thermoplastic resin shaped-article, thereby forming cracks at the inner side of the primary thermoplastic resin shaped-article. Then, a heat treatment is performed at a temperature equal to or higher than a glass transition temperature of a thermoplastic resin that constitutes the primary thermoplastic resin shaped-article, thereby obtaining a thermoplastic resin shaped-article 20 in which substantially spherical vacancies 244 having minimum diameter of 30 m or more are formed only at the inner region distant from a surface thereof by 10 m or more.

Methods of securing an optical fiber within an optical fiber connector include applying heat to a front-end section of a ferrule through a heating sleeve. The heating sleeve at least partially surrounds the front-end section of the ferrule and heats a bonding agent that resides within the ferrule a securing temperature. The optical fiber is inserted into the optical fiber connector and through the bonding agent. The optical fiber is secured in the ferrule axial bore by the bonding agent when the bonding agent reaches the securing temperature.

The present disclosure discloses a backlight module and the manufacturing method thereof. The backlight module comprises a substrate, a plastic frame, a light guide plate, and a film set. The plastic frame is formed on the substrate through printing, which forms a housing space together with the substrate. The light guide plate and the film set are sequentially stacked in the housing space. The backlight module according to the present disclosure will not affect the display of the liquid crystal display panel during thermal expansion.

The invention relates to a light guide for a vehicle lighting unit, having at least one light-conducting body, which conducts the light along at least one light direction; and at least one, in particular band-shaped, optically active flat material which interacts with the light guided into the body in order to produce a light effect. The light guide according to the invention is characterized in that the flat material with its longitudinal extension direction along the direction of light of the light-conducting body in the light-conducting body is completely surrounded and embedded by the same at least transversely to the direction of longitudinal extent.