JPH0361919A - Optical switch - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an optical switch that switches the transmission path of an optical signal propagating within an optical fiber in optical fiber communication.

[Conventional technology] Various structures have been proposed for optical switches.

An example of the prior art is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In the example shown in FIG. 4, an iron piece 11 is provided on one side of a trapezoidal movable body 10, and both inclined surfaces are used as reflective surfaces 12a and 12b, respectively. 14, and opposite to it, i
An IT magnet 16 is provided. When the electromagnet 16 is turned on, the iron piece 11 is attracted and the incident light from the boat P+ is emitted to the boat P□.When the electromagnet 16 is turned off, the movable body 10 is pulled by the force of the spring 14, and the light incident from the boat PI is is emitted to P3.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, by moving the triangular prism 18, the light incident from the boat P+ is emitted to the boat P or the boat P.

[Intelligence B to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above configuration, there are only a few places where the optical path is switched, and incident light from one direction can be switched only to two directions.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical switch that can increase the number of optical path switching points, switch light incident from one direction to three directions, and simplify the drive mechanism of the optical path switching prism to save labor. Our goal is to provide the following.

[! ! Means for Solving the Problem] The present invention, which can achieve the above object, comprises an optical signal input port and a slider that has a magnetic material and is movable only in one direction orthogonal to the direction in which light is introduced from the input port. , a prism attached to the slider for switching the optical path, an electromagnet for attracting and driving the slider disposed on both sides of the slider to face the magnetic body of the slider, and a slider moving range when both electromagnets are not in operation. Equipped with presser springs and positioning springs on both sides of the slider to set it in the middle of the slider, and an output port for optical signals in three directions, the slider can be set in one of three stable positions by turning both electromagnets on and off. This is an optical switch configured to select a stable position and output an optical signal from an input port to an output port corresponding to the stable position.

Here, the prism is, for example, in the shape of a quadrangular prism or a triangular prism, and has a structure having reflective surfaces inclined in directions opposite to each other with respect to the light introduction direction.

[Operation] The stable position of the slider differs depending on the relationship between the magnetic attraction force generated by the combination of on/off states of both electromagnets and the force of the spring. 1! Either both magnets are off, or only one electromagnet is on; if the electromagnet is on,
The slider is attracted in that direction to determine one stable position, and when the electromagnet on the opposite side is on, it is attracted in the opposite direction to determine a second stable position of the slider. 1 of both again!
When the magnet is off, the slider has a predetermined stable position in the middle of its movement range due to the balance between the presser spring and the positioning spring. In this way, one of the three stable positions of the slider is selected, and corresponding to each stable position, the incident light is either reflected by the prism or passes near the prism without hitting the prism. Thereby, optical paths in three directions can be set, and optical signals are emitted to the corresponding output ports.

In this way, an optical signal from one direction can be switched to three directions.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of an optical switch according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view thereof. The device is housed in a rectangular housing 20. Fiber collimators 22 are attached to each of the four sides of the housing 20, and optical fibers 24 are connected to them. In the plan view shown in Figure 1, the left side when facing the drawing is the optical signal input port P,
It is. A slider 26 is provided in the center of the housing 20, which is movable only in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which light is introduced from the input capo (P+). This slider 26 has permanent magnets 28a and 28b at both ends, respectively, and a quadrangular prism 30 for switching the optical path is attached to the upper surface. and moves along the guide shaft 32. Electromagnets 34a and 34b are arranged opposite to permanent magnets 28a and 28b of the slider 26.
is attached to the housing 20. Further, the guide shaft 32 is equipped with a presser spring 36 and a positioning spring 38, which apply a constant spring force to the slider 26.

A first output coupler) Pg is provided opposite to the input coupler P+ of the optical signal, and second and third output couplers are provided at positions orthogonal thereto.
(output capo) Ps and Pa are provided.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the state in which the first electromagnet 34a is turned on.
It is a diagram. In this state, the permanent magnet 28a is attracted by the electromagnet 34a, and the slider 26 moves and comes into contact with it. The light entering from the input port Pt does not hit the prism 30, but passes through that side and goes directly to the output port Pz.
emitted to.

A state in which both the electromagnets 34a and 34b are turned off is shown in FIG. 3A. At this time, due to the balance between the presser spring 36 and the positioning spring 3B, the slider 26 moves to a fixed position in the middle of its movement range and stops. At that time prism 3
The first inclined surface 30a of 0 is located exactly in the optical path, and the light incident from the input port P+ is reflected by the inclined surface 30a and output to the second output port P.

Further, the case where the electromagnet 34a is turned off and the electromagnet 34b is turned on is shown in FIG. reach the abutting position). At this time, the second inclined surface 30b of the prism 30 is located in the optical path, and the light incident from the input port P1 is reflected by the inclined surface 30b and exits to the third output port P4.

In this way, the permanent magnet is attracted by turning on one of the magnets 34a and 34b (the other is off), or by turning both of them off, or the slider 26 is moved at three positions by the balance of the spring. The beam stops at one of the stable positions, and the optical path is switched.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to only such a configuration.

In the above embodiment, a "quadrangular prism" prism is used, but as is clear from the above explanation of the operation, since only two sides of the prism are used, a triangular prism may also be used, or a trapezoidal prism may be used. It is also possible to use a prism and create a configuration in which the light passes through the central parallel plane of the trapezoidal prism when connecting from the first boat to the second boat.A piece of iron or the like can be used instead of a permanent magnet. You may.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the present invention drives the slider equipped with the prism for switching the optical path by using the spring force of the electromagnets and the springs arranged on both sides of the slider.
Three stable positions can be set depending on the stable position attracted by one of the electromagnets and the stable position determined by the spring force of the spring when both electromagnets are turned off, and the optical path can be switched in three directions depending on the stable position. It can be performed.

Furthermore, since the prism can be moved using two electromagnets and a spring, the structure is simplified, and one stable position can be determined with both electromagnets turned off, resulting in labor savings.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the optical switch according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view thereof, and FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory views of the operation of the optical switch. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are explanatory diagrams each showing an example of the prior art. 20... Housing, 26... Slider, 28a, 28b
...Permanent magnet, 30... Prism, 34a, 34b
... Electromagnet, 36 ... Holding spring, 38 ... Positioning spring, 1 ... Input port, P wealth 3 4 ... Output port.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An input port for an optical signal, a slider having a magnetic material and movable only in one direction orthogonal to the direction in which light is introduced from the input port, and an optical path switching device attached to the slider. a prism, an electromagnet for attracting and driving the slider arranged on both sides of the slider so as to face the magnetic body of the slider, and an electromagnet on both sides of the slider for setting the slider in the middle of its movement range when both electromagnets are not operating. The slider is equipped with a presser spring and a positioning spring installed in the slider, and an output port for optical signals in three directions.One of the three stable positions of the slider can be selected by a combination of turning on and off both electromagnets, and the slider can be adjusted to correspond to that stable position. An optical switch that outputs the optical signal from the input port to the output port. 2. The optical switch according to claim 1, wherein the prism has reflective surfaces inclined in directions opposite to each other with respect to the light introduction direction.