JP2008008992A - Method and tool for cleaning end face of optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and tool for cleaning the end face of an optical fiber capable of satisfactorily removing deposits on the end face of an optical fiber. <P>SOLUTION: A cleavage face of a multiple optical fiber ribbon 3 is at least brought into contact with a cleaning cloth 1 which is soaked with pure water 2 at least partly, and then the multiple optical fiber ribbon 3 with the cleavage face in contact with the cleaning cloth 1 is moved in a direction P. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber end face cleaning method and cleaning tool, and more particularly to an optical fiber cleavage surface and an optical fiber connector end face cleaning method and cleaning tool that do not use a ferrule.

  In optical fibers, particularly single mode optical fibers, the core through which communication light propagates is as small as 10 μm. Therefore, if there is an adhering substance near the core when two optical fibers are connected, the communication light can be transmitted even if the adhering substance is small. It will fall into the state similar to the power fall of a further, and disconnection. Therefore, cleaning of the end face of the optical fiber is important. If the size of the deposit is considered to be a micrometer or more, practical connection optical characteristics are satisfied. In other words, cleaning of very small deposits of submicrometer or less is not considered here.

  As a connection form of the optical fiber, an optical connector in which the fiber is reinforced with a ferrule is generally used. However, a mechanical splice (Non-patent Document 1) that connects the optical fiber cleavage surfaces, and an FPC (Fiber Physical Contact) that does not use a ferrule. ) Optical connectors (Non-Patent Document 2) are attracting attention as a new connection method.

  Conventionally, in cleaning the cleaved surface of the optical fiber and the end surface of the FPC optical connector, alcohol was soaked into the swab and the tip of the optical fiber was wiped with the swab.

  On the other hand, in a general optical fiber connector, the fiber is reinforced with a ferrule, the end face is polished together with the ferrule, and the end face is wide and easy to wipe. In the beginning of optical connector development, alcohol was soaked in the waste cloth, the end face was wiped off, and the alcohol was blown off by air blow. However, air blow left alcohol streaks and affected optical properties. Therefore, a method and a cleaning tool have been developed for cleaning the deposits without using alcohol by rubbing the optical connector end face against a dry cleaning cloth made of ultrafine fibers (Non-patent Document 3).

NTT Technical Journal February 2005, pp. 42-45 http://www.ntt.co.jp/journal/0502/files/jn200502042.pdf NTT Electronics, “FPC Connector”, http://www.nel.co.jp/product/dwdm/fpc.html NTT Advanced Technology, “Optical Connector Cleaning Tool OPTIPOP” http://keytech.ntt-at.co.jp/opticl/prd_0035a.html

  However, the method of wiping the cleaved surface of the optical fiber and the end surface of the FPC optical connector with a cotton swab soaked with alcohol cannot completely remove the deposits. This is because the optical fiber has a diameter of 0.125 mm, is easy to bend, and has a small end face area, so that the cotton swab hits the edge of the end face and it is difficult to wipe the end face. The end face could not be wiped for the same reason by the method used at the beginning of the development of the optical connector, that is, the method of impregnating the waste with alcohol. In addition, it is speculated that the electrical coupling force is dominant, but the adsorbing power between the optical fiber and the adhering material is large, and the adhering material can be removed well even by air blowing after soaking in alcohol. There wasn't. Furthermore, even if the tip of the optical fiber is gripped so that the optical fiber does not bend and the tip is wiped with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol or a rag, it is difficult to remove the adhering material that changes in position. It was. This is presumed to be because although the end surface is wiped, the force of the alcohol wrapping the deposit is smaller than the electrical coupling force between the deposit and the fiber end surface.

  Moreover, even if the optical fiber cleavage surface or the FPC connector end surface is rubbed like a general optical connector using a cleaning tool using a dry cleaning cloth made of ultrafine fibers, the position of the deposits will change. Removal was difficult. Moreover, even if alcohol was applied to the cleaning cloth and rubbed, the adhered matter could not be removed. Unlike the cotton swab, the end face of the optical fiber is wiped because it is on a surface-like cleaning cloth. This is presumably because the adhering substance cannot be taken into the cleaning cloth side. In a general optical connector, since a large surface is wiped by the presence of a ferrule, it is assumed that the deposit is pushed to the ferrule portion and the deposit on the end face of the optical fiber can be removed.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning method and a cleaning tool for an optical fiber end face that can satisfactorily remove deposits on the end face of the optical fiber. There is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for cleaning an end face of an optical fiber, wherein at least a part of the cleaning cloth in which a liquid containing water is impregnated is prepared. A preparation step, a contact step of bringing at least an end face of the optical fiber into contact with the at least part of the liquid soaked in the cleaning cloth, the optical fiber having the end face in contact with the region, and the cleaning And a moving step of moving the cloth relatively.

  According to a second aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the liquid is water or an aqueous solution.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the preparing step includes a step of supplying the liquid to the cleaning cloth and causing the liquid to soak into the at least part. And

  The invention according to claim 4 is a cleaning tool for an end face of an optical fiber, comprising at least a cleaning cloth soaked with a liquid containing at least water, wherein at least a part of the cleaning cloth is filled with the liquid. It is a soaked area and an area where at least the end face of the optical fiber comes into contact.

  The invention described in claim 5 is the invention described in claim 4, characterized in that the liquid is water or an aqueous solution.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising means for relatively moving the optical fiber whose end face is in contact with the region and the cleaning cloth. .

  The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising means for supplying the liquid to the cleaning cloth.

The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to claim 4 or 5,
The apparatus further comprises means for interlocking the operation of relatively moving the optical fiber whose end face is in contact with the region and the cleaning cloth and the operation of supplying the liquid to the cleaning cloth. To do.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the invention according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the region is formed by supplying the liquid to a predetermined position of the cleaning cloth and means for moving the cleaning cloth in a predetermined direction. And an end face of the optical fiber at least in contact with the predetermined position on the downstream side in the predetermined direction.

  According to the present invention, the end face of the optical fiber is wiped with a cleaning cloth soaked with a liquid containing at least water. Therefore, the antistatic effect of water and the large surface tension overcome the electrical coupling force between the deposit and the optical fiber end surface, and the water wraps the deposit and adsorbs it to the cleaning cloth, so the deposit can be removed well. Can do.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, components having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof is omitted.
One embodiment of the present invention relates to an effective cleaning technique particularly for an optical fiber cleavage surface and an FPC optical connector end surface.

(First embodiment)
The cleaning method of the optical fiber end surface based on this embodiment is shown using FIG. 1 (a), (b).
FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a state in which the cleaning cloth is entirely wetted, and FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating a state in which a part of the cleaning cloth is wetted.
FIG. 1 shows a case where a multi-fiber ribbon optical fiber 3 is covered with a region including its end face, and the cleaved end face is wiped. In FIG. 1A, reference numeral 1 is a cleaning cloth, reference numeral 2 is pure water soaked in the cleaning cloth, reference numeral 3 is a multi-core tape optical fiber, and reference numeral 4 is a multi-fiber tape optical fiber 3. Reference numeral 5 denotes a coating removal portion of the multi-fiber ribbon optical fiber 3 from which the tape coating portion 4 has been removed. In the present embodiment, the optical fiber is exposed in the coating removing unit 5. Therefore, the end surface of the coating removal part 5 becomes an end surface of the optical fiber, and this end surface is a cleaved surface. In the present embodiment, a method for cleaning the cleaved surface of the optical fiber will be described, but the cleaning method of the present embodiment can also be applied to cleaning the end surface of the FPC connector.

  Here, a cloth made of ultrafine fibers is used as the cleaning cloth 1 and is used by applying pure water. That is, the cleaning cloth 1 is wetted by the pure water 2 by impregnating the cleaning cloth 1 with pure water. In the present embodiment, it is important that the pure water 2 is present on the cleaning surface of the cleaning cloth 1 (the surface that contacts the end surface of the fiber to be cleaned). Thus, if the pure water 2 can be present on the cleaning surface of the cleaning cloth 1, for example, means (applying means) for applying a liquid containing at least water, which will be described later with reference to FIGS. Any method may be used.

  If the cleaved surface of the optical fiber or the end face of the FPC connector is pressed against this and moved by about 1 to 2 cm, the deposits on the end face of the optical fiber can be removed. In the present embodiment, the cleaved surface is brought into contact with pure water 2 in order to clean the cleaved surface of the multi-fiber tape optical fiber 3. Then, by moving the multi-fiber tape optical fiber 3 in the direction P in a state where the cleaved surface is in contact with the pure water 2, deposits on the cleaved surface of the optical fiber can be satisfactorily removed. In the present embodiment, the attached cloth may be removed by moving the cleaning cloth 1 in the contacted state. That is, in this embodiment, after the contact state, the cleavage surface of the optical fiber to be cleaned and the cleaning cloth 1 may be relatively moved.

  In this embodiment, since the deposits are removed by using the action of pure water 2 as described later, the pure water 2 is brought into contact with the cleaved surface of the optical fiber to be cleaned at least during the cleaning operation. is important. For this purpose, the cleaved surface of the optical fiber is brought into contact with or pressed against the area of the cleaning cloth 1 where pure water 2 has penetrated. In this embodiment, since the pure water 2 has soaked into the cleaning cloth 1, the optical fiber is brought into contact with or pressed against the cleaning cloth 1 in which the pure water 2 has soaked, that is, at least in contact with the optical fiber. Pure water 2 can be brought into contact with the cleaved surface. In this embodiment, in order to efficiently contact the cleavage plane of the optical fiber and the pure water 2, the cleavage plane of the optical fiber is cleaned to such an extent that the multi-fiber tape optical fiber 3 brought into contact with the cleaning cloth 1 is bent. It is preferable to press against the cloth 1.

  In the present embodiment, as moving means for moving the multi-fiber tape optical fiber 3 in the direction P, holding means for holding the multi-fiber tape optical fiber 3 in between, and an actuator as drive means connected to the holding means; Can be used. When such a means is used, the multi-fiber tape optical fiber 3 is held by the holding means so that the cleavage surface of the multi-fiber tape optical fiber 3 is pressed against the cleaning cloth 1, and the actuator is moved in the direction P. Thus, the cleaning is performed.

  In this embodiment, the user performs the cleaning by pressing the cleavage surface of the multi-fiber ribbon optical fiber 3 against the cleaning cloth 1 and moving the multi-fiber ribbon optical fiber 3 in the direction P. May be.

  Although general deposits can be removed by moving the multi-fiber optical fiber fiber 3 once, the reliability increases if the operation is repeated several times. At this time, the movement may be such that the multi-fiber ribbon optical fiber 3 is bent to sweep the wrinkles. There is no need to take care that the tip is parallel to the cleaning cloth 1, and if it is not extremely bent, the end face (the cleaved face of the multi-fiber optical fiber 3) is wiped somewhere during the movement.

  In addition, as a cleaning cloth, it is applicable as long as it is fine to some extent and does not generate fiber waste or dust. Although it is possible to use cleaning paper or wet tissue paper, since it is moistened, deflection occurs over time, making it difficult to wipe the optical fiber. Further, when used repeatedly, tearing or the like may occur, and the fiber may adhere to the optical fiber.

  Further, the amount of pure water soaked into the cleaning cloth 1 may be such that the cleaning cloth gets wet. Further, the liquid to be soaked into the cleaning cloth 1 may be an aqueous solution as long as it is not pure water 2 and may contain contaminants. For example, impurities such as tap water and alcohol for preserving are not a problem. A surfactant may be mixed, but there is no remarkable effect compared with pure water or tap water. Even if a large amount of alcohol is mixed, there is no particular problem, the wiping effect is comparable, and the effect on organic deposits is not particularly increased. Since alcohol evaporates before water, it is considered that when the cleaning cloth is in a moderately wet state, it is in the same state as when water with a low alcohol concentration is applied. That is, in the present embodiment, the liquid to be soaked into the cleaning cloth 1 may be a liquid containing at least water, such as pure water or an aqueous solution.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG.1 (b), the cleaning cloth 1 may be partially dried. That is, the cleaning cloth 1 may be formed with a region where the pure water 2 exists and a dry region 6 where the pure water 2 does not exist. Even if there is a considerable amount of water in the cleaning cloth 1, the water is absorbed by the cleaning cloth 1 side due to the surface tension and hardly remains on the cleavage surface of the multi-fiber optical fiber 3. Even when it remains on the cleaved surface of the optical fiber 3, the excess water can be wiped off by the region 6 which is a dry portion. That is, the region 6 functions as a means for removing moisture remaining on the end face of the optical fiber during cleaning in a region where the pure water 2 exists. As described above, by providing the cleaning cloth 1 with the area in which the pure water 2 has soaked and the dry area, a means for removing moisture remaining from the end face of the optical fiber, such as a heater or a blower, is separately provided. Even without this, moisture remaining from the end face of the optical fiber can be removed satisfactorily. In addition, since the dry part is not charged by the water | moisture content near, dust does not adhere again, or the quantity of the dust which adheres can be reduced.

  According to the method described above, since the optical fiber end face is wiped with a cleaning cloth soaked with at least water-containing liquid, the fiber end face adhering matter to be cleaned and the optical fiber due to the antistatic effect of water and the large surface tension. Since the electric coupling force with the end face is overcome and water wraps the adhering matter and adsorbs it to the cleaning cloth side, the adhering matter can be removed satisfactorily.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the liquid containing at least water, particularly water contained in the liquid soaked (applied) into the cleaning cloth, is attached to the end face of the optical fiber due to its antistatic effect. It has the role of weakening the electrical coupling force with the end face of the optical fiber, and further has the role of drawing the deposit into the liquid, particularly water, due to its large surface tension.

(Second Embodiment)
The cleaning tool which concerns on this embodiment is illustrated in FIGS.
2 (a) and 2 (b), the cleaning cloth 1 has a size of about 1 × 2 cm, is arranged in a plane on the substrate 21 for arranging the cleaning cloth 1, and the window is hollowed out so as not to bend. The holding plate 22 is pressed. A pure water supply device 23 is provided on the substrate 21. The supply device 23 has a button 24 and a nozzle 25 and stores pure water 26. The supply device 23 is configured to suck up a predetermined amount of the stored pure water 26 when the button 24 is pressed, and to supply the pure water 27 from the nozzle 25 to the outside.

  In such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 2A, an appropriate amount of pure water 27 is dripped from the nozzle 25 by pressing the button 24 of the supply device 23. The dropped pure water 27 lands on the cleaning cloth 1 and soaks into the cleaning cloth 1. In this way, pure water is applied from the supply device 23 to the cleaning cloth 1. When the applied pure water 2 has permeated the cleaning cloth 1, the tip (cleaved surface) of the multi-fiber tape optical fiber 3 is rubbed so as to be swabbed (FIG. 2 (b)). That is, the cleaved surface of the multi-fiber tape optical fiber 3 is pressed against the cleaning cloth 1 so that the cleaved surface of the multi-fiber tape optical fiber 3 comes into contact with the pure water 2, and the multi-fiber tape optical fiber 3 is moved in the direction P by the moving means or the user. Move. In addition, the splashing of water is completed in a few seconds. According to the cleaning tool shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the effects described in the first embodiment are exhibited, and the attached matter on the end face of the optical fiber can be satisfactorily removed by a simple operation. The cleaning cloth 1 can be replaced by removing the presser plate 22 and is preferably replaced every cleaning.

Drawing 3 is a lineblock diagram of another cleaning tool concerning this embodiment, and in order to understand the composition more, it is a partial perspective view.
In FIG. 3, a feed reel 32, a receiving reel 33, and a substrate 34 are provided inside a housing 31. The cleaning cloth 1 having a width of about 1 cm is in the form of a tape and is wound around the feed-side reel 32 and the receiving-side reel 33 via the substrate 34. There is a substrate 34 between the two reels, where the cleaning cloth 1 is stretched flat. A window portion is formed in the housing 31, and at least a part of the cleaning cloth 1 on the substrate 34 is exposed from the window portion. The receiving side reel 33 is provided with a lever 35 with a clutch. By rotating the lever 35 with a clutch in the direction T, the receiving side reel 33 rotates following the rotation, and the cleaning cloth 1 Moves in direction S. With this movement, the feed reel 32 also rotates. Thus, the cleaning cloth 1 moves in the direction S by the rotation of the feed-side reel 32, the receiving-side reel 33, and the clutch-equipped lever 35.

  That is, by rotating the lever 35 with the clutch by an appropriate angle, the receiving reel 33 rotates, and the cleaning cloth 1 is wound around the receiving reel 33 from the feeding reel 32 by several centimeters. At this time, a new cleaning surface of the cleaning cloth 1 is supplied onto the substrate 34 by rotating and stopping the lever 35 with the clutch by a predetermined angle. Here, when a button 24 of the supply device 23 is pressed, an appropriate amount of pure water 27 is dripped from the nozzle 25, and when the dropped pure water has permeated the cleaning cloth 1, the multi-core tape optical fiber 3 is swept with scissors. Rub on. This rubbing operation may be performed by moving the multi-fiber tape optical fiber 3 in a predetermined direction by the moving means or the user as described with reference to FIG. When the cleaning of the end face of a certain multi-fiber ribbon optical fiber 3 is completed, the lever with clutch 35 is again rotated by a predetermined angle and stopped. By doing so, it is possible to always provide a new cleaning surface for cleaning each multi-fiber ribbon optical fiber.

  In the present embodiment, the optical fiber end face may be cleaned by fixing the optical fiber to be cleaned during the cleaning of the optical fiber end face and moving the cleaning cloth 1. In this case, with the lever 35 with the clutch stopped, the button 24 of the supply device 23 is pressed to allow the pure water to spread over the cleaning cloth 1. Next, by holding means (not shown), the multi-fiber ribbon optical fiber 3 is pressed against the cleaning cloth 1 in a bent state, and the lever with the clutch is rotated in this state, so that the cleaning cloth 1 is moved from the feeding reel 32 to the receiving side. The reel 33 is wound up, and the tip of the multi-fiber ribbon optical fiber 3 is rubbed so as to be swept with a scissors.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the supply device 23 is provided on the downstream side in the moving direction of the cleaning cloth 1 by the rotation of the lever 35 with the clutch, that is, the downstream side in the direction S, with respect to the liquid application position. May be. If the multi-fiber tape optical fiber is brought into contact with the cleaning cloth 1 on the downstream side of the landing position of the pure water 27, the cleaning cloth 1 is moved and the pure water is supplied to the cleaning cloth 1. And cleaning of the end face of the optical fiber can be performed simultaneously. In addition, when performing these three operations simultaneously, downstream of the pure water supply position (in FIG. 3, the landing position of pure water, and in FIG. 5, the position in contact with the fiber bundle 53 described later). If the end face of the optical fiber can be brought into contact with the side, the end face can be cleaned well. Therefore, the arrangement position of the supply device 23 may be any, and it may be brought into contact with the cleaning cloth 1 on the end face of the optical fiber to be cleaned downstream of the landing position of the pure water 27 from the nozzle 25.

  According to this cleaning tool, the effects described in the first embodiment are exhibited, and the deposits on the end face of the optical fiber can be satisfactorily removed by a simple operation. In addition, a new surface of the cleaning cloth 1 can be easily installed on the substrate 34 by a simple operation of pushing the lever. That is, fresh pure water 2 can always be supplied to the cleaning surface of the cleaning cloth 1.

  In the cleaning tool shown in FIG. 4, the lever 35 with the clutch and the button 24 of the supply device 23 are interlocked. In FIG. 4, a plate portion 41 is provided on the outer end of the rotation center of the lever 35 with the clutch. That is, the lever part of the lever 35 with a clutch is L-shaped. When the lever 35 with the clutch rotates in the direction T, the plate portion 41 is formed so that the button 24 is pushed to a predetermined depth, and then the button 24 is rotated away from the button 24 so as to make a round and press the button 24 again. ing.

  According to the cleaning tool of FIG. 4, the button 24 can be periodically pushed by the rotating operation of the receiving reel 33 for moving the cleaning cloth 1. Therefore, the movement of the cleaning cloth 1 and the application of pure water to the cleaning cloth 1 can be performed simultaneously by one operation, that is, the above rotation operation. That is, the operation of pushing the supply button of the liquid containing at least water is simplified, and a situation where a new cleaning surface is always provided when the liquid is dropped can be realized.

In the cleaning tool shown in FIG. 5, a liquid containing at least water, such as pure water or an aqueous solution, is supplied by a fiber bundle such as a brush instead of a nozzle.
In FIG. 5, the pure water supply device 51 includes a pure water storage tank 52 and a fiber bundle 52. The fiber bundle 52 is prepared so that an appropriate amount of pure water in the storage tank 51 oozes out from the tip. By configuring in this way, when the fiber bundle 52 is brought into contact with the cleaning cloth 1, pure water is applied to the contact area by the feeding of the cleaning cloth 1 by the rotation of the lever 35 with the clutch. A new surface that has been wetted by feeding appears in the cleaning area. This also simplifies the operation of pressing the water supply button, and can realize a situation in which a new cleaning surface is always provided when the liquid is dropped.

  That is, the cleaning tool shown in FIG. 5 has a fiber bundle 52 configured so that pure water oozes out from the tip, abuts against the cleaning cloth 1, and rotates the feeding reel 32 and the receiving reel 33 so that the optical fiber The operation of relatively moving the cleaning cloth 1 and the operation of applying pure water to the cleaning cloth 1 can be performed in conjunction with each other.

  In the cleaning tool shown in FIG. 6, the feed-side reel 32 is immersed in a water tank 61 in which pure water 62 is stored, and the cleaning cloth 1 is always wetted (a state in which a liquid is impregnated). FIG. 6 is a partially transparent view, but the water tank 61 is built in the housing 31.

  This also simplifies the operation of pressing the water supply button, and can realize a situation in which a new cleaning surface is always provided when the liquid is dropped. Moreover, since the supply amount of water is large, it is particularly effective when cleaning a large amount on the end face of the optical fiber.

  That is, the cleaning tool shown in FIG. 6 immerses the feeding reel 32 in the water tank 61 in which the pure water 62 is stored, and rotates the feeding reel 32 and the receiving reel 33 to clean the optical fiber and the cleaning device. The operation of relatively moving the cloth 1 and the operation of applying pure water to the cleaning cloth 1 can be performed in conjunction with each other.

  3 to 6, the rotational power of the reel is obtained by the rotation of the lever. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rotational power may be obtained by means for rotating the reel such as an electric motor.

  2-6, means using a nozzle, fiber bundle as means for supplying (supplying) a liquid containing at least water, such as pure water or an aqueous solution in which water is a solvent solution, to the cleaning cloth Examples of means using water and water tanks are given as examples, but the invention is not limited thereto. In addition, any means may be used as long as the liquid can be applied to the entire surface or a part of the cleaning cloth, such as a roller or a spray, that is, at least a part of the cleaning cloth.

  Furthermore, one of the important things in an embodiment of the present invention is that a cleaning cloth contains a liquid containing at least water, such as pure water or an aqueous solution, and water is applied to the end face of the optical fiber at least when cleaning the end face of the optical fiber. It is to contact. Therefore, in addition to applying the liquid to the cleaning cloth by the means described in the above example, the user may apply the liquid to the cleaning cloth with a dropper or the like.

  That is, in one embodiment of the present invention, when the end face of the optical fiber is brought into contact with at least an area containing at least water of the cleaning cloth, at least water is provided so that the liquid and the end face of the optical fiber come into contact with each other. It suffices if the liquid containing the liquid can be supplied to at least a part of the cleaning cloth.

  Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of the optical fiber includes at least water before the end surface of the optical fiber is pressed against the cleaning cloth and the optical fiber and the cleaning cloth are relatively moved. A cleaning cloth soaked with liquid or wetted with the liquid may be prepared.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure explaining the cleaning method of the optical fiber end surface based on one Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: (a) is a figure which shows the state in which the cleaning cloth wetted the whole surface, (b) is a figure of cleaning cloth. It is a figure which shows the state where a part got wet. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows the cleaning tool based on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the cleaning tool based on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the cleaning tool based on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the cleaning tool based on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the cleaning tool based on one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Board | substrate 2 Pure water 3 Multi-fiber tape optical fiber 4 Tape coating | coated part 5 Coating removal part 6 Dry area | region

Claims (9)

A method for cleaning an end face of an optical fiber,
A preparation step of preparing a cleaning cloth soaked with a liquid containing at least water at least in part;
Contacting at least the end face of the optical fiber with the at least part of the cleaning cloth soaked in the liquid; and
A method of cleaning an optical fiber end face, comprising: a step of moving the optical fiber whose end face is in contact with the region and the cleaning cloth relatively.   2. The optical fiber end face cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid is water or an aqueous solution.   The optical fiber end face cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein the preparing step includes a step of supplying the liquid to the cleaning cloth and causing the liquid to soak into the at least part. An optical fiber end face cleaning tool,
At least a part is provided with a cleaning cloth soaked with a liquid containing at least water,
The cleaning tool, wherein the at least part is a region where the liquid of the cleaning cloth is impregnated, and is a region where at least an end face of an optical fiber is brought into contact.   The cleaning tool according to claim 4, wherein the liquid is water or an aqueous solution.   The cleaning tool according to claim 4, further comprising means for relatively moving the optical fiber whose end face is in contact with the region and the cleaning cloth.   The cleaning tool according to claim 4, further comprising means for supplying the liquid to the cleaning cloth.   The apparatus further comprises means for interlocking the operation of relatively moving the optical fiber whose end face is in contact with the region and the cleaning cloth and the operation of supplying the liquid to the cleaning cloth. The cleaning tool according to claim 4 or 5. Means for moving the cleaning cloth in a predetermined direction;
Means for forming the region by supplying the liquid to a predetermined position of the cleaning cloth;
The cleaning tool according to claim 4 or 5, wherein at least the end face of the optical fiber is brought into contact with the predetermined position on the downstream side in the predetermined direction.

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