Optical waveguides – With optical coupler – Switch
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-05
2001-07-24
Font, Frank G. (Department: 2877)
Optical waveguides
With optical coupler
Switch
C385S020000, C385S022000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06266461
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical fiber switch member and optical fiber switching circuits used for an optical fiber communications system. More particularly, it relates to an optical fiber switch circuit composed of at least one N×2N (N>1) switch optical fiber member capable of switching the connections of an N number of switches at the same time by a single actuator.
2. Description of the Related Art
A 1×2 optical fiber switch, such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,936 is known. First and second fixed optical fibers are adhesively fixed on the bottoms of oppositely provided V grooves in such a manner that the distal end surfaces thereof are aligned. The outer surfaces of movable optical fibers are provided with films made of a magnetic material, the portions provided with the films made of the magnetic material being disposed in a magnetic field of a permanent magnet. The portions coated by the films are driven and displaced toward the first and second fixed optical fibers alternately by changing the magnetic force acting on the films made of the magnetic material by actuators constituted by the permanent magnet and a solenoid coil, thus switching the connection.
Referring to
FIG. 7
, an optical fiber switch circuit constructed using the 1×2 optical fiber switchs mentioned above will be described.
FIG. 7
shows the circuit corresponding to a case constituted by connecting seven 1×2 optical fiber switches.
In
FIG. 7
, the movable optical fibers of 1×2 optical fiber switches
201
through
207
are driven by actuators making use of the foregoing solenoid coils and magnetism.
A typical way to construct an optical fiber switch circuit switch members each having one input and 4 outputs employing such 1×2 optical fiber switches, is to connect seven 1×2 optical fiber switches in series as illustrated in FIG.
7
. The optical fibers of the 1×2 optical fiber switches are connected by optical connectors or electric discharge fusion between the fibers.
The connection of the optical fiber switch of
FIG. 7
is made as set forth below. To connect a port A with a port #
1
, the movable optical fibers of the 1×2 optical fiber switches
201
,
202
, and
204
are respectively connected to the upper fixed optical fibers as illustrated. To connect the port A with a port #
5
, the movable optical fibers of the 1×2 optical fiber switch
201
is connected to the lower fixed optical fiber, and the movable optical fibers of the 1×2 optical fiber switch is
203
and are connected to the upper fixed optical fibers. The switching operation is accomplished by switching the polarity of the current flowing through the solenoid coil of the actuator provided for each of the 1×2 optical fiber switches
201
through
207
.
Hence, the optical fiber switch circuit configured as described above requires seven 1×2 optical fiber switches, seven control and drive circuits together with wiring therefor, and the connections of six pairs of optical fibers. This inevitably requires a large space for housing the switches themselves and their associated components and also leads to complicated wiring. Likewise, an optical fiber switch circuit having one input and 16 outputs requires fifteen 1×2 optical fiber switches, fifteen control and drive circuits together with wiring therefor and the connections of fourteen pairs of optical fibers. An optical fiber switch circuit having one input and 32 outputs requires thirty-one 1×2 optical fiber switches, thirty-one control and drive circuits together with wiring therefor and the connection of thirty pairs of optical fibers.
FIG. 8
shows the configuration of an optical fiber switch circuit having 2 inputs and 8 outputs. This optical fiber switch circuit is constituted by two pairs of optical fiber switch circuits each having one input and 4 outputs, namely, the optical fiber switch circuit comprised of three 1×2 optical fiber switches
208
,
210
, and
211
, and the 1×4 optical fiber switch circuit comprised of three 1×2 optical fiber switches
209
,
212
, and
213
as illustrated. The optical fiber switch circuit configured as described above requires six 1×2 optical fiber switches, six control and drive circuits and wiring therefor, and the connections of four pairs of optical fibers. Hence, as in the case of the foregoing optical fiber switch, circuit the sizes of the switches themselves respectively equipped with actuators increase, the wiring becomes complicated, and the number of connections of the optical fibers also increases.
FIG. 9
shows an optical fiber switch circuit, namely, a 4×4 matrix optical fiber switch circuit having 4 inputs and 4 outputs constituted by employing eight optical fiber switch members each having one input and 4 outputs. Each of reference numerals
214
through
221
is a composed of three 1×2 optical fiber switches. Sixteen optical fibers
222
are provided and connected as illustrated. The 4×4 matrix optical fiber switch shown in
FIG. 9
is a matrix optical fiber switch circuit that has a function for connecting the optical fibers of an arbitrary port A, B, C, or D in the left column to an arbitrary port #
1
, #
2
, #
3
, or #
4
in the right column. The 4×4 matrix optical fiber switch circuit requires twenty-four 1×2 optical fiber switches and a circuit wiring for connecting twenty-four actuators.
Thus, the optical fiber switch circuits shown in
FIGS. 7-9
pose a problem in that the size of the switch itself inevitably increases, the control and drive circuit and the wiring becomes more complicated, and the number of connections of optical fibers also increases as the number of the switching circuits increases.
The optical fiber switches employed for the optical fiber switch circuits described above are publicly known; however, the connection of the respective circuits has been made by the inventor and is not known to have been described previously. Therefore, the connection of the respective optical fiber switch circuits is not considered prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a major object of the present invention to provide an optical fiber switch circuit that combines at least one 1×2optical fiber switch employing optical fibers used for simultaneously switching the connection of an N number of movable optical fibers from one N number of fixed optical fibers of a 2N number of fixed optical fibers to the other N number of fixed optical fibers, and another optical fiber switch in accordance with the present invention.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an optical fiber switch circuit having 1 input and 8 outputs.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an matrix optical fiber switch circuit having N inputs and N outputs.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an optical fiber switch circuit having two inputs and 8 outputs.
In order to achieve the major object, an optical fiber switch circuit configured by connecting a plurality of optical fiber switches is provided in accordance with the present invention, said optical fiber switch comprising: an alignment member main body which has a plurality first and second V shaped grooves, said first and second grooves opposing each other to form pairs of V grooves extending parallel to a Z-axis are aligned in a Y-direction, substantially perpendicular to said z-direction and a slit traversing said V grooves in an X-direction; substantially perpendicular to said y and z directions a 2N number of first and second fixed optical fibers located in the main body on a first side of the slit, one of said first optical fibers being positioned in each of said first grooves and one of said second fixed optical fibers being positioned in each of said second grooves, an N number of movable optical fibers located in said main body on a second side of said slit opposite the firs
Font Frank G.
Frank Robert J.
Lee Andrew H.
Seikoh Giken Co. Ltd.
Venable
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