TAPER-LIKE OPTICAL TRANSMISSION BODY AND ITS PRODUCTION

PURPOSE:To obtain a high uniformity ratio by convergently arraying plastic optical fibers kept at a thick state, drawing out the convergently arrayed fiber flux under the fiber flux state, cooling and solidifying the drawn fiber flux, and cutting out a taper part. CONSTITUTION:Plural plastic optical fiber strands each of which consists of a core 13 and a clad 14 are inserted into a plastic pipe so as to make their long axis directions coincide with each other to form a rod, the rod is drawn out while being heated at a temperature higher than the thermal deformation temperatures of respective materials, and after cooling and solidifying the drawn rod, a taper part 10 is cut out. Since the strands are arrayed in the thick state, the array can be regularly, accurately and efficiently executed. Since the regular array is drawn out like a taper under the filling state in a plastic pipe and formed like thin fibers, the obtained fiber flux forms a taper-like transmission body having a similar shape while keeping the regular array as it is. Consequently, the taper-like optical transmission body reduced at its bleeding, having high resolution and free from image distortion can be obtained.