CN111458806A

CN111458806A - Optical switch with simple structure

Info

Publication number: CN111458806A
Application number: CN202010389845.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈莲
Original assignee: O Net Communications Shenzhen Ltd
Current assignee: O Net Technologies Shenzhen Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-05-07
Filing date: 2020-05-07
Publication date: 2020-07-28

Abstract

The application discloses simple structure's photoswitch, photoswitch includes a first optic fibre, two piece at least second optic fibres, beam deflection part, focus part and moving part. The beam deflection component is used for changing the direction of the beam in the first optical fiber or the second optical fiber. The focusing element is used for guiding the light beam into the first optical fiber or the second optical fiber. The moving component is connected with the light beam deflection component and used for moving the light beam deflection component. Wherein the moving member moves the beam deflecting section, and guides the beam of the first optical fiber into one of the second optical fibers or guides the beam of one of the second optical fibers into the first optical fiber by the introduction of the focusing member. Simple structure, light weight, small volume, fast reaction and low cost.

Description

Optical switch with simple structure

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of optical fiber communication, in particular to an optical switch with a simple structure.

Background

AN optical switch is AN optical device with one or more selectable transmission ports that functions to physically switch or logically operate optical signals in AN optical transmission line or integrated optical circuit, in AN optical fiber transmission system, the optical switch is used for switching between a multiple monitor, L AN, multiple light sources, detectors and a protection Ethernet, in AN optical fiber test system, the optical fiber, optical fiber equipment test and network test, and AN optical fiber sensing multipoint monitoring system.

The optical switch has a wide application in the field of optical fiber communication, and as the amount of information transmission gradually increases, switching between various optical paths is becoming more and more common, and the optical switch gradually moves from 1x 2. The existing optical switch has the disadvantages of complex structure, larger weight, large volume and higher cost.

Disclosure of Invention

The light switch is simple in structure, light in weight, small in size and low in cost.

The application discloses simple structure's photoswitch, photoswitch includes a first optic fibre, two piece at least second optic fibres, beam deflection part, focus part and moving part. The beam deflection component is used for changing the direction of the beam in the first optical fiber or the second optical fiber. The focusing element is used for guiding the light beam into the first optical fiber or the second optical fiber. The moving component is connected with the light beam deflection component and used for moving the light beam deflection component. Wherein the moving member moves the beam deflecting section, and guides the beam of the first optical fiber into one of the second optical fibers or guides the beam of one of the second optical fibers into the first optical fiber by the introduction of the focusing member.

Optionally, the optical switch further comprises a mirror and a third capillary; the beam deflection component is arranged between the reflecting mirror and the focusing component, and the third capillary is arranged on one side of the focusing component far away from the beam deflection component; the third capillary is provided with a plurality of second through holes, and the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber are respectively arranged in the second through holes;

the moving component moves the light beam deflection part, and the light beam of the first optical fiber is collimated by the focusing component, refracted by the light beam deflection part, reflected by the reflector, refracted by the light beam deflection part again, collimated by the same focusing component and guided into one of the second optical fibers.

Optionally, the beam deflection component is a prism, and the beam deflection component is disposed between the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber; the beam deflection component comprises a first refraction surface and a second refraction surface; the first refraction surface and the second refraction surface are oppositely arranged, and an included angle is formed between the first refraction surface and the second refraction surface; the first optical fiber is arranged on one side of the beam deflection component, and the second optical fiber is arranged on the other side of the beam deflection component; the first refractive surface faces the first optical fiber and the second refractive surface faces the second optical fiber; the moving part rotates the beam deflecting part.

Optionally, an included angle between the first refraction surface and the second refraction surface is 1.5-15 degrees; the refractive index of the material of the beam deflection component is 1.3-2.2.

Optionally, the focusing component includes a first lens and a second lens, the first lens is disposed between the first fiber and the beam deflecting component, and the second lens is disposed between the beam deflecting component and the second fiber.

Optionally, the moving part includes a motor and a bracket, one end of the bracket is connected to the motor, and the other end of the bracket is connected to the beam deflecting part; the motor drives the light beam deflection component to rotate through the bracket.

Optionally, the focusing component comprises a first lens and a second lens, the first lens is arranged between the first optical fiber and the beam deflection component, the second lens is arranged between the beam deflection component and the second optical fiber, the motor, the first optical fiber, the first lens, the beam deflection component and the second lens are located on the same axis, the bracket is shaped like a Chinese character '', and the first optical fiber and the first lens are arranged inside the opening of the bracket.

Optionally, the moving part is disposed between the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber; the beam deflection component is provided with a plurality of beams; the moving part comprises a plurality of annular ring supports, a plurality of telescopic arms and a plurality of mechanical switches for driving the telescopic arms to reciprocate; the telescopic arm penetrates through the circular ring bracket; one end of the telescopic arm, which is positioned outside the circular ring support, is connected with the mechanical switch, and one end of the telescopic arm, which is positioned inside the circular ring support, is connected with the light beam deflection component; and the plurality of telescopic arms, the mechanical switch and the light beam deflection component are arranged around the circular ring support.

Optionally, the moving part includes a stepping motor, the moving part further includes a telescopic rod or a chain, and the beam deflecting part is provided in plurality; the telescopic rod or the chain is arranged between the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber and is connected with the stepping motor; the stepping motor is used for driving the telescopic rod or the chain to reciprocate; the light beam deflection components are arranged on the telescopic rod or the chain in different directions.

Optionally, the optical switch comprises a second capillary holding a second optical fiber; the second capillary is provided with a plurality of first through holes in which the second optical fibers are disposed.

Compared with a rotary motor type optical switch, the optical switch can realize the switching of the optical path through the moving component, the light beam deflection component and the focusing component, and has the advantages of simple structure, light weight, small volume, quick response and low cost.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the application, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the application and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the application. It is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the application, and that for a person skilled in the art, other drawings can be derived from them without inventive effort. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an optical switch;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an optical switch according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an optical switch according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is another schematic diagram of an optical switch according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a second capillary according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an optical switch according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the present application showing a ring support, a telescoping arm, and a mechanical switch;

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of an optical switch according to an embodiment of the present application.

Wherein, 1, a channel collimator; 2. fixing the collimator; 3. a turntable; 100. a first optical fiber; 200. a second optical fiber; 300. a beam deflecting member; 310. a first refractive surface; 320. a second refraction surface; 400. a focusing member; 410. a first lens; 420. a second lens; 500. a moving member; 510. a motor; 520. a support; 530. a circular ring support; 540. a telescopic arm; 550. a mechanical switch; 560. a stepping motor; 570. a telescopic rod; 580. a chain; 600. a first capillary tube; 700. a second capillary tube; 710. a first through hole; 800. a mirror; 900. a third capillary tube; 910. a second via.

Detailed Description

It is to be understood that the terminology, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and are representative, but that the present application may be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein.

In the description of the present application, the terms "first", "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating relative importance or as implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, unless otherwise specified, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature; "plurality" means two or more. The terms "comprises" and "comprising," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof may be present or added.

Further, terms of orientation or positional relationship indicated by "center", "lateral", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", and the like, are described based on the orientation or relative positional relationship shown in the drawings, are simply for convenience of description of the present application, and do not indicate that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present application.

Furthermore, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly and may include, for example, fixed connections, removable connections, and integral connections; can be mechanically or electrically connected; either directly or indirectly through intervening media, or through both elements. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as appropriate.

The present application is described in detail below with reference to the figures and alternative embodiments.

As shown in fig. 1, in the prior art, an optical switch generally rotates through a motor, and different channel collimators 1 are coupled to a fixed collimator 2 at a common end to realize optical path switching. The rotary motor is provided with a rotary disc 3, the rotary disc 3 is provided with N channel collimators 1, and the motor can be used for switching the collimator of a channel to be cut into to the position of a fixed collimator 2(FixedCollimator) according to an instruction so as to realize light path switching. However, such a rotary motor type optical switch needs to carry a relatively large rotary disk 3, and is relatively bulky and heavy. Meanwhile, the requirement on the motor is high, and the cost is high. The path required to rotate is relatively long and the response speed is also slow. Meanwhile, when switching between non-adjacent channels, light enters other channels.

To solve the above problems, as shown in fig. 2 to 4, as an embodiment of the present application, an optical switch having a simple structure is disclosed, which includes one first optical fiber 100, at least two second optical fibers 200, a beam deflecting member 300, a focusing member 400, and a moving member 500. The beam deflecting means 300 is used to change the direction of the light beam in the first optical fiber 100 or the second optical fiber 200. The focusing element 400 is used to direct the light beam into the first optical fiber 100 or the second optical fiber 200. The moving part 500 is connected to the beam deflecting part 300, and is used to move the beam deflecting part 300. The moving member 500 moves the beam deflecting portion, and guides the beam of the first optical fiber 100 into one of the second optical fibers 200 or guides the beam of one of the second optical fibers 100 into the first optical fiber 200 through the introduction of the focusing member 400.

In the present application, the light beam deflecting portion is moved by the moving member 500, and the light beam of the first optical fiber 100 is guided into one of the second optical fibers 200 or one of the light beams of the first optical fiber 100 is guided into the second optical fiber 200 by the guiding of the focusing member 400, so that the switching of the optical paths is realized. Wherein, the light beam of the first optical fiber 100 is guided into one of the second optical fibers 200 to form a 1xN optical switch; one of the light beams of the first optical fiber 100 is guided into the second optical fiber 200 to form an Nx1 optical switch. Compared with the rotary motor type optical switch, the optical switch of the present embodiment can realize the switching of the optical path through the moving component 500, the light beam deflecting component 300 and the focusing component 400, and has the advantages of simple structure, light weight, small volume, fast response and low cost.

Specifically, the beam deflecting unit 300 is a prism, and specifically, may be a wedge angle prism as shown in fig. 3, or a four-sided prism. The beam deflecting means 300 is disposed between the first optical fiber 100 and the second optical fiber 200; the beam deflecting unit 300 includes a first refraction surface 310 and a second refraction surface 320; the first refraction surface 310 and the second refraction surface 320 are arranged oppositely, and an included angle is formed between the first refraction surface 310 and the second refraction surface 320; the first optical fiber 100 is disposed at one side of the beam deflecting unit 300, and the second optical fiber 200 is disposed at the other side of the beam deflecting unit 300; the first refractive surface 310 faces the first optical fiber 100, and the second refractive surface 320 faces the second optical fiber 200; the moving part 500 rotates the beam deflecting part 300. The first refraction surface 310 and the second refraction surface 320 form an included angle, so that the propagation direction of the light beam can be changed, and the light beam can be propagated to multiple directions by rotating the light beam deflection component 300 through the moving component 500. For example, as shown in fig. 4, the light beam deflecting unit 300 is rotated into 4 directions, the light beam is deflected differently in each direction, and the deflected light beam enters the corresponding second optical fiber 200 through the introduction of the focusing unit 400, so as to realize the switching of the optical paths. The beam deflecting element 300 is rotated in 4 directions, which is exemplary, and a user can change the rotation angle of the beam deflecting element 300 according to the actually required beam propagation direction, so that the beam can be deflected correspondingly and enter the corresponding second optical fiber 200, thereby realizing the optical path switching. In the scheme, only the light beam deflection component 300 needs to be rotated, the first optical fiber 100 and the second optical fiber 200 do not need to be changed, and the optical fiber deflection component has the advantages of simple structure, quick response and low cost; the beam deflecting component 300 is a prism, and has the advantages of simple structure, light weight, small volume and low cost.

Preferably, the angle between the first refraction surface 310 and the second refraction surface 320 is in the range of 1.5 ° to 30 °, and the refractive index of the material of the beam deflection component is 1.3 to 2.2. The larger the angle between the first refraction surface 310 and the second refraction surface 320, the more refraction directions are possible, the more corresponding paths are possible, but the larger the distance from the first optical fiber 100 to the beam deflecting unit 300 is. Under the angular range of this scheme, when rotatory light beam deflection portion, the quantity of the direction of refraction is reasonable, and the refraction direction of light beam is reasonable, and first optic fibre 100 is apart from the distance of light beam deflection part 300 and also can not be too big and lead to photoswitch's volume too big.

The focusing part 400 includes a first lens 410 and a second lens 420, the first lens 410 is disposed between the first fiber and the beam deflecting part 300, and the second lens 420 is disposed between the beam deflecting part 300 and the second fiber. The first lens 410 changes the direction of the light beam, and the light beam approaches to the parallel light respectively, so as to perform the focusing function, and better enter the light beam deflection component 300 for deflection; similarly, the second lens 420 changes the direction of the light beam to make the light beam approach to the parallel light, so as to perform a focusing function, and better and more accurately enter the second optical fiber 200. The first lens 410 and the second lens 420 may be a ball lens, a self-focusing lens, an aspherical lens, or the like.

The moving component 500 comprises a motor 510 and a bracket 520, one end of the bracket 520 is connected with the motor 510, the other end of the bracket 520 is connected with the beam deflecting component 300, the motor 510 drives the beam deflecting component 300 to rotate through the bracket 520, specifically, the focusing component 400 comprises a first lens 410 and a second lens 420, the first lens 410 is arranged between the first optical fiber and the beam deflecting component 300, the second lens 420 is arranged between the beam deflecting component 300 and the second optical fiber, the motor 510, the first optical fiber 100, the first lens 410, the beam deflecting component 300 and the second lens 420 are positioned on the same axis, the bracket 520 is shaped like '', the bracket 520 in which the shape of '' is arranged inside the opening of the bracket 520 is matched with the motor 510, the first optical fiber 100, the first lens 410, the beam deflecting component 300 and the second lens 420 which are positioned on the same axis, so that the beam deflecting component 300 can be rotated around the axis to realize beam deflecting in different directions, and the beam deflecting component 300 can be guided into the second optical fiber 200 accurately.

The optical switch includes a first capillary 600 for fixing the first optical fiber 100, and a second capillary 700 for fixing the second optical fiber 200, and the first optical fiber 100 is disposed in the first capillary 600. The second capillary 700 is provided with a plurality of first through holes 710; the second optical fibers 200 are plural and are respectively disposed in the first through holes 710. The plurality of second optical fibers 200 are uniformly fixed in the first through holes 710 of the second capillary 700, facilitating the switching of the optical paths.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 5, the centers of the plurality of first through holes 710 are located on the circumference of the same circle and are uniformly distributed at intervals. The second optical fiber 200 is disposed in the first through holes 710 distributed in this way, the rotation angle of the beam deflecting member 300 is more regular, and the optical fiber can be more accurately guided into the second optical fiber 200.

As shown in fig. 6 to 7, as another embodiment of the present application, it is different from the above-described embodiments in that the moving member 500 is disposed between the first optical fiber 100 and the second optical fiber 200; a plurality of the beam deflecting means 300; the moving member 500 includes a plurality of ring supports 530 having a ring shape, a plurality of telescopic arms 540, and a plurality of mechanical switches 550 for driving the telescopic arms 540 to reciprocate; the telescopic arm 540 passes through the circular ring bracket 530; the end of the telescopic arm 540 outside the circular ring frame 530 is connected to the mechanical switch 550, and the end of the telescopic arm 540 inside the circular ring frame 530 is connected to the beam deflecting unit 300; and the plurality of telescopic arms, the mechanical switch and the light beam deflection component are arranged around the circular ring support. The specific implementation of the moving part 500 is simple in structure, light in weight, small in volume and low in cost. The mechanical switch 550 may be a magnetically attracted relay or the like. The beam deflecting unit 300 is reciprocated in the circular ring frame 530 by driving the telescopic arm through a mechanical switch, and can enter or leave the optical path. As shown in fig. 7, there are a plurality of beam deflecting members 300, and a plurality of corresponding telescopic arms and mechanical switches, which are respectively disposed around the circular ring support to realize different optical path switching.

As another embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 8, the present application is different from the above-mentioned embodiments in that the moving member 500 includes a stepping motor 560, the moving member 500 further includes a telescopic rod 570 or a chain 580, and the beam deflecting member includes a plurality of members; the telescopic rod 570 or the chain 580 is arranged between the first optical fiber 100 and the second optical fiber 200 and connected with the stepping motor 560; the step motor 560 is used to drive the telescopic rod 570 or the chain 580 to reciprocate. As shown in fig. 7, the beam deflecting units are disposed on the telescopic rod or the chain in different directions. The specific implementation of the moving part 500 is simple in structure, light in weight, small in volume and low in cost. By rotating the telescopic rod 570 or the chain 580 by the stepping motor 560, each beam deflecting member provided on the telescopic rod 570 or the chain 580 can enter the optical path or leave the optical path. Because the light beam deflection components are arranged on the telescopic rod or the chain in different directions, different light path switching can be easily realized.

As shown in fig. 2, as another embodiment of the present application, the optical switch further includes a mirror 800 and a third capillary 900, which are different from the above embodiments; the beam deflection component is arranged between the reflecting mirror 800 and the focusing component, and the third capillary is arranged on one side of the focusing component far away from the beam deflection component; the third capillary is provided with a plurality of second through holes, and the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber are respectively arranged in the second through holes. The moving member moves the beam deflecting portion, and the beam of the first optical fiber is collimated by the focusing member, refracted by the beam deflecting portion, reflected by the reflecting mirror 800, refracted by the beam deflecting portion again, collimated by the same focusing member, and guided into one of the second optical fibers.

The beam deflecting means of the foregoing embodiments is a prism, and is a refractive implementation. In this embodiment, the beam deflecting means is a mirror, which is a reflection type implementation. According to the scheme, the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber are arranged on the third capillary tube, and only one focusing component is needed, so that the overall arrangement length of the optical switch is reduced, the size is reduced, and the overall structure is more compact.

Specifically, the specific implementation manner of the moving part moving the light beam deflecting part may be as that in the foregoing embodiments, which is not described herein again.

The foregoing is a more detailed description of the present application in connection with specific alternative embodiments, and the specific implementations of the present application are not to be considered limited to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art to which the present application pertains, several simple deductions or substitutions may be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and all should be considered as belonging to the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An optical switch of simple construction, said optical switch comprising:

a first optical fiber;

at least two second optical fibers;

a beam deflecting element for changing the direction of the beam in the first optical fiber or the second optical fiber;

a focusing member for introducing the light beam into the first optical fiber or the second optical fiber;

a moving member connected to the beam deflecting member for moving the beam deflecting member;

wherein the moving member moves the beam deflecting section, and guides the beam of the first optical fiber into one of the second optical fibers or guides the beam of one of the second optical fibers into the first optical fiber by the introduction of the focusing member.

2. A constructionally simple optical switch according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a mirror and a third capillary; the beam deflection component is arranged between the reflecting mirror and the focusing component, and the third capillary is arranged on one side of the focusing component far away from the beam deflection component; the third capillary is provided with a plurality of second through holes, and the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber are respectively arranged in the second through holes;

3. A constructionally simple optical switch according to claim 1, characterised in that the beam deflecting element is a prism, the beam deflecting element being arranged between the first and second optical fibres; the beam deflection component comprises a first refraction surface and a second refraction surface; the first refraction surface and the second refraction surface are oppositely arranged, and an included angle is formed between the first refraction surface and the second refraction surface; the first optical fiber is arranged on one side of the beam deflection component, and the second optical fiber is arranged on the other side of the beam deflection component; the first refractive surface faces the first optical fiber and the second refractive surface faces the second optical fiber; the moving part rotates the beam deflecting part.

4. A constructionally simple optical switch according to claim 3, characterized in that the angle between the first and second refractive surfaces is in the range 1.5 ° -30 °; the refractive index of the material of the beam deflection component is 1.3-2.2.

5. A constructionally simple optical switch according to claim 3, characterized in that the focusing means comprise a first lens arranged between the first fiber and the beam deflecting means and a second lens arranged between the beam deflecting means and the second fiber.

6. A constructionally simple optical switch according to claim 3, characterized in that said moving means comprises a motor and a holder, one end of said holder being connected to said motor and the other end being connected to said beam deflecting means; the motor drives the light beam deflection component to rotate through the bracket.

7. An optical switch of simple construction as claimed in claim 6, wherein said focusing means comprises a first lens and a second lens, said first lens being disposed between said first fiber and said beam deflecting means, said second lens being disposed between said beam deflecting means and said second fiber, said motor, said first fiber, said first lens, said beam deflecting means, and said second lens being disposed coaxially, said holder being shaped as "", said first fiber and said first lens being disposed within said holder opening.

8. A constructionally simple optical switch according to claim 3, characterised in that the moving member is arranged between the first optical fibre and the second optical fibre; the beam deflection component is provided with a plurality of beams; the moving part comprises a plurality of annular ring supports, a plurality of telescopic arms and a plurality of mechanical switches for driving the telescopic arms to reciprocate; the telescopic arm penetrates through the circular ring bracket; one end of the telescopic arm, which is positioned outside the circular ring support, is connected with the mechanical switch, and one end of the telescopic arm, which is positioned inside the circular ring support, is connected with the light beam deflection component; and the plurality of telescopic arms, the mechanical switch and the light beam deflection component are arranged around the circular ring support.

9. A structurally simple optical switch according to claim 3, wherein said moving member comprises a stepping motor, said moving member further comprises a telescopic rod or a chain, and said beam deflecting member is plural; the telescopic rod or the chain is arranged between the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber and is connected with the stepping motor; the stepping motor is used for driving the telescopic rod or the chain to reciprocate; the light beam deflection components are arranged on the telescopic rod or the chain in different directions.

10. A constructionally simple optical switch according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a second capillary holding a second optical fiber; the second capillary is provided with a plurality of first through holes in which the second optical fibers are disposed.