OPTICAL FIBER PRODUCING METHOD AND PRODUCING DEVICE, AND CLEANING DEVICE

摘要

Highly reliable optical fiber can be produced by positively removing foreign bodies adhering to or deposited on the surface of optical fiber in such a manner as to directly wipe off foreign bodies on the surface of optical fiber by a cleaning means, a facility therefor being simple and easy to maintain. The invention provides such optical fiber producing method and producing device. A cleaning member (11) is disposed on a travel path, so that the surface of the traveling optical fiber (20) is brought into physical contact with the cleaning member (11) and is cleaned. This cleaning member (11) may be in the form of a porous member or a mesh-like member. The mesh-like member may be made of a fiber sheet knitted of fiber yarn. A plurality of such fiber sheets are laminated to provide a predetermined lamination thickness for the cleaning length of the optical fiber (20). In addition, the optical fiber is passed through the cleaning member (11) prior to optical fiber unevenness detection or the coloring of the optical fiber (20).