Cleaning method of coloring device of optical fiber, and coloring device of optical fiber

Abstract

A cleaning method comprises first cleaning which includes supplying a cleaning-liquid to the coloring device from the optical fiber passing hole of the nipple and the ink supply opening, and discharging the cleaning-liquid from the cleaning-liquid discharge opening, and second cleaning which includes supplying a cleaning-liquid to the coloring device from the optical fiber passing hole of the nipple and the ink supply opening, and discharging the cleaning-liquid from the optical fiber passing hole of the second die.

1 - 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . A coloring device of an optical fiber comprising:
 a nipple having a first optical fiber passing hole that passes the optical fiber therethrough;   a first die positioned underneath the nipple, the first die including
 a second optical fiber passing hole communicating with the first optical fiber passing hole, and 
 a plurality of notches at an external periphery; 
   a second die positioned underneath the first die, the second die including a third optical fiber passing hole having a tapered part communicating with the second optical fiber passing hole, and an internal diameter of the tapered part decreasing toward a passing direction of the optical fiber; and   a frame that forms an ink pool between an external periphery of the nipple and the frame and has an ink supply opening and a cleaning-liquid discharge opening provided separately from the ink supply opening, the ink supply opening and the cleaning-liquid discharge opening being linked to the ink pool,   wherein ink flow paths are formed among the nipple and the first and the second dies, and a communication hole structure is formed to sequentially communicate with the ink pool, the ink flow path, and the tapered-part inside by the plurality of notches of the first die.   
     
     
         9 . The coloring device according to  claim 8 , wherein a number of the plurality of notches of the first die is equal to or greater than three. 
     
     
         10 . The coloring device according to  claim 8 , wherein projections are formed between two adjacent notches of the plurality of notches, and wherein a maximum width of each of the projections in a circumferential direction is equal to or less than 3 millimeters. 
     
     
         11 . The coloring device according to  claim 8 , wherein a cross section area of a region of the communication hole structure excluding a region sandwiched between the frame and the second die in each of the plurality of notches is equal to or smaller than 1.0 times an area of the second optical fiber passing hole. 
     
     
         12 . The coloring device according to  claim 8 , wherein an angle formed by the ink supply opening and the cleaning-liquid discharge opening is between 120 degrees and 180 degrees. 
     
     
         13 . The coloring device according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a cleaning-liquid storing tank connected to the ink supply opening; and   a waste liquid storing tank connected to the cleaning-liquid discharge opening.   
     
     
         14 . The coloring device according to  claim 13 , further comprising an ejector configured to decompress the waste liquid storing tank. 
     
     
         15 . The coloring device according to  claim 8 , further comprising an air supply device configured to supply air to the ink supply opening.