Optical waveguides – With optical coupler – Switch
Patent
1991-09-23
1993-04-06
Ullah, Akm E.
Optical waveguides
With optical coupler
Switch
G02B 600
Patent
active
052010163
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an optical switch used to switch an optical transmission line from one to another.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Some well-known optical communications systems which transmit information through optical fibers use an optical switch of this kind.
If a trouble or fault takes place in such optical transmission line and disables the latter from transmitting further optical signals, the optical switch provided in this transmission system is used to put an auxiliary transmission line, if any, into service for further transmission of the optical signals. Such optical switches include one in which the construction is shown in FIG. 1(a). As seen, the optical switch comprises a stationary plug 101 having a connecting face A and to which one end of an optical tape core 100A consisting of a plurality of optical fibers laid parallel to one another is fixed; a moving plug 102 having a connecting face B. One end of an optical tape core 100B is connected to the plug 102, the tape core 100B also consisting a plurality of optical fibers laid parallel to one another. A connecting faces A and B abut each other. A driving mechanism 103 moves the moving plug 102 in a predetermined direction in relation to the stationary plug 101, thereby selectively connecting the optical transmission line (optical fibers in a group) in the optical tape core 100B to another optical transmission line (optical fibers in a group) in the optical tape core 100A; etc.
In the optical switching system having the above-mentioned construction, the optical switch is disposed anywhere, for example, in the middle of an optical transmission line made of an optical tape core in which plural optical fibers are laid parallel to one another. By operating the optical switch, the optical signals can be directed to any other destination or passed through any other optical transmission line. The optical switch operates on the principle described in the "Transaction of the IEEE, Vol. E73, No. 7 July 1990 pp. 1147-1149".
The construction of such optical switch will be described in further detail with reference to FIG. 1(a). As seen, the ends of optical tape cores 100A and 100B in pair are fixed to the stationary plug 101 and moving plug 102, respectively, made of a synthetic resin. Optical fibers opl, op2, . . . , op5 forming together each of the optical tape cores are equidistantly spaced from one another on one end face of each plug. Normally, the optical fibers exposed on the end face of the stationary plug 101 correspond one-to-one to those exposed on the end face of the moving plug 102 to transmit optical signals between the vis-a-vis optical fibers. For switching of the optical transmission line from one to another as in the above, the moving plug 102 is slid by the driving mechanism 103 in relation to the stationary plug 101, whereby the one-to-one correspondence between the optical fibers exposed on the end faces of the respective plugs is changed to switch the optical signal transmission route from one to another.
The mechanism of the above-mentioned optical switch will be further detailed herebelow. As forced by means of a push pin 104 disposed as a part of the driving mechanism 103, the face B' vis-a-vis to the connecting face B of the moving plug 102 slides in contact with a portion of the wall surface of a plug chamber 105a of a main body 105 in which the moving plug 102 is housed. When the moving plug 102 moves, however, a large frictional force develops between the moving plug 102 and plug chamber 105a so that the moving plug 102 cannot move smoothly.
FIG. 2 shows another example of the driving mechanism 103 in the optical switch of such structure. As seen, the driving mechanism 103 is provided with a solenoid (driving source) 106 which generates a magnetic force which will press a drive shaft 107 and the push pin 104 coupled with this shaft 107 by means of a coupling member 110, whereby the moving plug 102 which abuts the end face of the push pin 104 is moved in a predetermined direction.
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REFERENCES:
patent: 4245886 (1981-01-01), Kolodzey et al.
patent: 4249794 (1981-02-01), Haley
patent: 4674831 (1987-06-01), Bagby
Jinbo Kunihiko
Nomura Yoshikazu
Fujikura Ltd.
Ullah Akm E.
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