JP2002350747A - Optical switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical switch of simple structure that can stably maintain optical paths without being supplied with electric power, can be small-sized, and can switch the optical paths at a high speed, whose light quantity hardly varies at input and output ports of an optical fiber and whose energy loss is reducible. SOLUTION: This optical switch comprises an optical element 1 which has selectable optical paths and a rotary type driving mechanism 5. A selected optical path can stably be held without any power supply and the optical paths can easily be switched at high speed. Further, a very small-sized optical switch can be actualized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical switch for switching an optical path in the field of optical information communication, and more particularly, to an optical switch which is of a self-holding type, is small, and has an improved optical path switching speed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, it has been felt that our living environment has undergone dramatic changes in the field of information and communication, and that the multimedia age has been steadily coming. In recent years, the need for high-speed transmission of moving images and high-resolution full-color images has been increasing in accordance with the development of multimedia, and the demand for communication technology using light capable of transmitting a large amount of information has been increasing. ing. In such an optical information communication field, an optical switch is an optical device that is indispensable for improving the reliability and increasing the functionality of an optical communication network system, and occupies a very important position in the development of optical communication technology. Specifically, an optical switch having a small size, high speed, and high reliability is required for line switching at the time of failure or line switching between subscribers, and active research and development are being conducted.

A typical example of a conventional optical switch is a mechanical optical switch that directly drives an optical fiber by electromagnetic force. However, since the optical fiber is directly driven, a large driving force is required, and further, it is difficult to perform high-speed switching response and downsizing.

[0004] Therefore, a micro electro mechanical system MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Mechanical) based on semiconductor fine processing.
Systems) has emerged.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a MEMS optical switch. The feature of the optical switch using the MEMS technology is that it does not depend on the machining technology, so that the size can be easily reduced and the mirror switching mechanism can be integrated. The specific mirror switching mechanism shown in FIG. 5 switches the optical path by moving the reflection plate in and out of the optical path with an actuator using a general electrostatic driving force in the MEMS type.

[0005] 101, 102, 103, 10 shown in FIG.
4 is an optical fiber and 105 is a reflector coated with a conductor for switching the optical path. 106 is a beam for supporting the reflector, 107 is the optical fiber 101, 102, 1
03, 104, a reflector 105, and a substrate supporting the beam 106; 108, an insulating layer; and 109, a pair of electrodes.

In the conventional optical path switching device shown in FIG. 5, the attitude of the reflector 105 for switching the optical path is controlled by an applied electric field. The reflection plate 105 is a beam 10 supporting the reflection plate 105 by an electrostatic force between the electrodes 109.
6 is elastically deformed along the longitudinal direction to obtain a posture in which the reflecting plate 105 stands upright with respect to the optical path traveling direction. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the optical fiber 101 is held perpendicular to the incident light from the optical fiber 101.
1 is reflected by the reflection plate 105, and
While the light is received by the optical fiber 104, the light emitted from the optical fiber 102 is also reflected by the reflection plate 105 and received by the optical fiber 103. On the other hand, the reflection plate 105 returns to a horizontal posture due to the restoring force of the elastic deformation of the beam 106 by cutting off the electrostatic force.
In this case, the reflection plate 105 includes the optical fibers 101, 1
The light emitted from the optical fiber 101 travels straight without being interrupted by the optical path of the optical fiber 02, and is received by the optical fiber 103.
Since the light emitted from the optical fiber 102 also goes straight, it is received by the optical fiber 104.

[0007]

In the above-described example of the conventional optical switch, the reflection plate is moved in and out of the optical path to switch the optical path. At this time, an electrostatic drive method is used to move the reflection plate in and out of the optical path. Therefore, in order to move and hold the reflection plate in a predetermined optical path when switching the optical path,
Power must be supplied at all times. When the power supply cannot be obtained stably, it is difficult to keep the reflector perpendicular to the incident light from the optical fiber, and the basic function of the optical switch is impaired. Further, when power cannot be supplied, it is basically impossible to maintain the attitude of the reflection plate by itself. Therefore, it is difficult to maintain the selected optical path, which is one of the basic functions required for the optical switch. In addition, since a space is required for the reflection plate to move in and out of the optical path with respect to the light diameter of the incident light, the distance between the electrodes is increased and the driving voltage is increased. Similarly, the distance between the optical fiber that obtains the incident light and the optical fiber that is connected to the outgoing light increases, making it difficult to reduce the loss.

Therefore, the present invention has a simple structure and can stably maintain an optical path without supplying electric power, enables downsizing, performs optical path switching at a high speed, and provides an optical fiber at an input / output end of an optical fiber. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical switch with less variation in light quantity and capable of reducing loss.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, an optical switch according to the present invention has the following features. (1) First and second optical path switching sections are formed on the surface of a rotating columnar member that rotates around a central axis, and the first and second optical path switching sections are formed by rotating the rotating columnar member. Is rotated, and the first and second optical path switching units facing light emitted from the first optical fiber are selectively switched, and the selected optical path switching unit emitted from the first optical fiber is switched. Is reflected by the selected optical path switching unit, and then is incident on the second or third optical fiber according to the selected optical path switching unit. (2) The rotary columnar member is driven by a rotary drive mechanism, which uses a small electromagnetic motor, a rotary actuator using electromagnetic force, a rotary actuator using a piezoelectric element, or an electrostatic force. Rotary actuator. (3) The optical path switching unit is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the rotating columnar member at a predetermined angle around a central axis. (4) The optical path switching unit formed on the surface of the rotating columnar member includes a first reflecting surface that reflects incident light and a second reflecting surface that reflects light reflected by the first reflecting surface. Have. (5) The optical path from the first optical fiber to the second optical fiber and the optical path from the first optical fiber to the second optical fiber have the same optical path length. (6) The first reflection surface and the second reflection surface of the optical path switching unit are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the rotating columnar member. (7) Aluminum, titanium, gold,
The reflection layer is formed of any metal film selected from silver, tungsten, nickel, or chromium, or a laminate of these thin films. (8) The optical system is characterized in that the center axis of rotation of the rotary columnar member and the optical path of light entering and exiting from the optical fiber intersect at right angles.

[0010]

The optical switch according to the present invention rotates the rotary columnar member having the first and second optical path switching portions by the rotary drive mechanism with respect to the incident light from the optical fibers at the same and the same position. By selectively positioning the first optical path switching unit or the second optical path switching unit, a path for guiding outgoing light to the second optical fiber via the first optical path switching unit or a second optical path switching unit Then, any one of the paths for guiding the emitted light to the third optical fiber through the third optical fiber is selected.

The optical path switching section of the present invention is disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the rotating columnar member at a predetermined angle around a central axis. Therefore, at a position opposed to the incident light from the same and the same position, positioning is performed by controlling the position of either the first optical path switching unit or the second optical path switching unit by the rotation drive mechanism, and the first Of the optical path switching unit or the second optical path switching unit. Therefore, the incident light is reflected by the selected first optical path switching unit or the first reflection surface of the second optical path switching unit, and then the first optical path switching unit or the second optical path switching unit. The reflected light is reflected by the two reflecting surfaces, and the emitted light is obtained and guided to the corresponding connected optical fiber.

As described above, the optical switch according to the present invention comprises:
With the realization of the optical path switching function by the minimum components and the simplified components, the selected optical path can be maintained regardless of the power supply, and an extremely small optical switch can be easily obtained. Further, the optical path switching can be performed at high speed by increasing the speed of the positioning control of the optical element.

Further, in the optical element, the optical path length which enters from the first position and exits from the third position is the same as the optical path length which enters from the second position and exits from the fourth position. Reflection by a metal thin film selected from aluminum, titanium, gold, silver, tungsten, nickel or chromium or a laminate of these thin films on the surface of the reflecting surface at the position, the second position, the third position and the fourth position. Since the layer is formed, the optical loss due to the switching of the optical path in the optical switch of the present invention and the light amount variation due to the selected optical path are extremely low.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the optical switch according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the optical switch. The basic configuration of the optical switch according to the present invention comprising an optical element 1, a support 4 supporting the optical element 1, and a rotary drive mechanism 5 for driving the optical element 1, and optical fibers 7a and 7b connected to the input / output optical paths. ,
7c and an optical fiber fixing base 6 for holding and fixing the optical fibers 7a, 7b, 7c. In the embodiment of the optical switch of the present invention, the incident light from the optical fiber 7a is
The optical path to the optical fiber 7c via the first position reflection surface 2 and the third position reflection surface 3 is shown.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the optical switch. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing in detail an optical path from incident light of the optical fiber 7a to the optical fiber 7c described in the description of FIG. Due to the characteristics of the light, the incident light from the optical fiber 7a goes straight from the tip of the optical fiber 7a and proceeds to the first position reflection surface 2 of the optical element 1. Next, the incident light from the optical fiber 7a is reflected by the first position reflection surface 2 and proceeds from the first position reflection surface 2 to the third position reflection surface 3. Further, an optical fiber 7
The incident light from a is reflected by the third position reflecting surface 3, travels straight in the outer peripheral direction of the optical element 1, and reaches the optical fiber 7c arranged adjacent to the optical fiber 7a.

FIG. 3 is an example showing an optical path switching mechanism. First, the optical element 1 shown in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the optical element 1 in the longitudinal direction, and includes a first position reflecting surface 2, a third position reflecting surface 3, a second position reflecting surface 8, and a fourth position reflecting surface 9. But,
An optical path from the first position reflection surface 2 to the third position reflection surface 3 and an optical path from the second position reflection surface 8 to the fourth position reflection surface 9 facing the outer peripheral portion of the optical element (shown as upper and lower in the figure). This indicates that the optical path leading to the optical element has α degrees (180 degrees in the figure) in the outer peripheral portion of the optical element as viewed from the cross section of the rotation axis, and is integrally arranged.

The optical element 1 in FIG. 3 is capable of rotational movement via a rotational center axis X in the longitudinal direction, similarly to the optical element 1 in FIGS. Optical fibers 7a, 7b, 7c
Are opposed to each other in the longitudinal direction (the rotation center axis X) of the optical element 1,
An optical fiber 7b centered on the optical fiber 7a is located at a position where incident light from the optical fiber 7a coincides with a center line (intersecting the rotation center axis X) connecting the first position reflecting surface 2 and the second position reflecting surface 8.
And 7c are adjacently held and fixed on the optical fiber support 6 shown in FIG. The optical fiber 7c is placed on the center line of the fourth position reflecting surface 9 or at a pitch between the center line of the fourth position reflecting surface 9 and the center line connecting the first position reflecting surface 2 and the second position reflecting surface 8. Are located on the center line of the third position reflecting surface 3 or at positions corresponding to the pitch between the center line of the third position reflecting surface 3 and the center line connecting the first position reflecting surface 2 and the second position reflecting surface 8. You. (The illustration is omitted) Thus, the optical element 1
And the optical fibers 7a, 7b, 7c connected to the incident light and the outgoing light have a positional relationship intersecting at right angles to each other. At the same time, the optical fibers 7a, 7b, 7c held and fixed on the optical fiber support 6 shown in FIG.
Are arranged adjacent to each other while maintaining parallelism.

Next, in the optical element 1, the first position reflecting surface, the second position reflecting surface, the third position reflecting surface, and the fourth position reflecting surface have a shape accuracy of reflecting 45 degrees with respect to incident light. The shape which is kept and forms an optical path which enters from the first position and exits from the third position and forms an optical path which enters from the second position and exits from the fourth position is common.

The material for forming the optical element may be any material as long as it is lightweight and capable of processing with high precision, and is selected from the viewpoints of low loss, high strength, high reliability and mass productivity. A material based on a quartz material having a good balance within the conditions described on the left, or a brittle material such as a multi-component glass or ceramic, a fluoride, or a plastic material may be used.

Further, aluminum, titanium, gold, and the like are provided on the surface of the reflecting surface at the first position, the second position, the third position, and the fourth position.
Any metal thin film processing selected from silver, tungsten, nickel or chromium is performed. Alternatively, the reflection layer is formed by a laminate of any metal thin film selected from among aluminum, titanium, gold, silver, tungsten, nickel, and chromium.

Thus, no matter which optical path provided in the optical element 1 is selected, the reproducibility of the optical characteristics of the optical path from the incident light to the outgoing light in the optical element is very excellent. Also, it has been obtained through simulation that variation in optical characteristics of the optical element 1 is extremely small, and it has been confirmed experimentally.

In the trial production, shape processing is performed using a multi-component glass system, and the first position, the second position, the third position, and the fourth position.
A reflective surface is formed by gold plating on the surface of the reflective surface at the position, and an experimental result in a low insertion loss range of 0.3 to 0.65 dB is obtained, and an extremely low optical loss is verified.

Here, when the incident light is obtained from the optical fiber 7a (incident light from the same position and the same position), the position of the optical element 1 is set to θ = 0 and θ = α with respect to the rotation axis X of the optical element 1. An optical path switching mechanism in the case of setting will be described. First, when the position of the optical element 1 is set to θ = 0, the optical fiber 7
The incident light a travels straight from the tip of the optical fiber 7a and proceeds to the second position reflection surface 8 of the optical element 1. Next, the incident light from the optical fiber 7a is reflected by the second position reflection surface 8, and proceeds from the second position reflection surface 8 to the fourth position reflection surface 9. Further, the incident light from the optical fiber 7a is reflected by the fourth position reflection surface 9, travels straight in the outer peripheral direction of the optical element 1, and reaches the optical fiber 7b arranged adjacent to the optical fiber 7a.

Next, assuming that the reference position of the optical element 1 is θ = α, the incident light of the optical fiber 7a goes straight from the tip of the optical fiber 7a as described in the description of FIG.
To the first position reflection surface 2. Next, the incident light from the optical fiber 7a is reflected by the first position reflection surface 2 and proceeds from the first position reflection surface 2 to the third position reflection surface 3. Further, the incident light from the optical fiber 7a is reflected by the third position reflecting surface 3, travels straight in the outer peripheral direction of the optical element 1, and reaches the optical fiber 7c arranged adjacent to the optical fiber 7a. From the above, it can be seen that the optical element 1 shown in FIG. 3 can easily switch the optical path for incident light from the same position and the same position.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the components of the optical switch. FIG. 4A is a schematic plan view of the optical switch of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is a schematic side view. First, as described in FIG. 3, the first position reflecting surface, the second position reflecting surface, the third position reflecting surface, and the fourth position reflecting surface are 4
The shape precision for performing reflection at 5 degrees is maintained, and the shape for forming an optical path incident from the first position and emitted from the third position and an optical path incident from the second position and emitted from the fourth position are common. It is. In the plan view of the optical element 1 shown in FIG. 4A, the shape that forms an optical path that enters from the first position and exits from the third position and an optical path that enters from the second position and exits from the fourth position is From the cross-sectional view gg ′ of the optical element 1 shown in FIG.
It can be seen that the shape forming the optical path exiting from the position and the optical path entering from the second position and exiting from the fourth position are common and are line-symmetric with respect to the rotation center axis X of the optical element 1.

In the prototype, an optical path that enters from the first position and exits from the third position and the optical path that enters from the second position and
The depth b from the outer peripheral surface of the optical element 1 for obtaining a shape forming an optical path emitted from the position was b = 1 mm and the optical element diameter c was 3 mm. By collimating the diameter itself to a small diameter, it is possible to manufacture the optical element 1 which is further reduced in size. When confirmed by simulation, b = 0.
If it is in the range of 2 to 5 mm and c = 0.5 to 10 mm, the optical characteristics are not impaired, and there is no practical problem.

Next, the optical element 1 and the optical fibers 7a, 7b,
In the positional relationship 7c, the optical fiber 7a connected to the longitudinal direction (rotation center axis X) of the optical element 1 and the incident light and the output light,
7b and 7c have a positional relationship of crossing each other at right angles,
The first position reflection surface 2, the second position reflection surface 8, the third position reflection surface 3 and the third position reflection surface 3 shown in FIG. The four-position reflecting surface 9 is required to have a shape accuracy of strictly reflecting 45 degrees with respect to incident light. In the prototype evaluation experiment, the pitch a of the optical fibers 7a, 7b, and 7c shown in FIG. 4A was made variable to preferentially produce a shape accuracy of 45 degrees. As a result of examining the shape accuracy to perform the degree of reflection, the pitch a of the optical fibers 7a, 7b, and 7c was 1.5 mm. In the prototype, the overall width d = 6 was achieved. Basically, the optical path length entering from the first position and exiting from the third position and the optical path length entering from the second position and exiting from the fourth position are desirably the shortest distance to avoid optical loss. , Optical fibers 7a, 7b,
Similarly, a narrow pitch between the pitches 7c is required. In the simulation, a range of a = 0.2 to 5 mm is obtained as an allowable range in terms of optical characteristics. However, it can be said that it is desirable that the design is made to be 1 mm or less in consideration of manufacturing problems in the future.

Further, the distance e between the rotation center axis X of the optical element 1 and the tips of the optical fibers 7a, 7b, 7c shown in FIG.
When the optical element 1 is rotated at the time of switching the optical path, the optical elements 7a, 7b, and 7c are arranged at a minimum distance that does not interfere with the tips of the optical fibers 7a, 7b, 7c. In the prototype, e = 1.7m
Although it is set to m, it has been confirmed by design that e = 1.2 to 1.5 mm is possible by processing the outer peripheral portion of the optical element 1 into an uneven shape.

Although not shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the incoming and outgoing light of the optical fibers 7a, 7b, 7c is located between the optical element 1 and the tips of the optical fibers 7a, 7b, 7c. In some cases, a collimator lens is provided to improve optical characteristics.
At this time, the distance between the rotation center axis X of the optical element 1 and the tips of the optical fibers 7a, 7b, 7c is determined in consideration of the size (diameter and thickness) of the lens.

Further, the distance f1 from the reference plane of the optical element 1 and the distance f2 from the reference plane of the optical fibers 7a, 7b and 7c shown in FIG. The reference planes 7a, 7b, and 7c are the same). This is because it has been experimentally confirmed that the degree of influence on the optical characteristics is greater than the positional accuracy of the other optical element 1 and the optical fibers 7a, 7b, 7c. In the trial production, the experimental apparatus was configured with f1 = f2. However, within an allowable range from the viewpoint of optical characteristics, it is desirable that the distance be ± 0.3 mm or less.

Next, the optical element support 4 of the optical element 1
Like the optical fiber support 6 of the optical fibers 7a, 7b, 7c, the positional relationship between the optical element 1 and the optical fibers is maintained. It mainly regulates the positional relationship of the optical element 1 in the longitudinal direction, and requires relative positioning accuracy with the optical fibers 7a, 7b, 7c. In the final prototype, the above-mentioned adjustment items were avoided because the optical element support 4 of the optical element 1 and the optical fiber support 6 of the optical fibers 7a, 7b, 7c were a common base.

Further, since the support 4 of the optical element has a contact with the longitudinal end of the optical element when the optical path is switched, the load is reduced due to the rotational movement of the optical element, and the stable sliding between the contact portions is achieved. To improve the performance and environmental resistance and durability,
In some cases, a thin film layer is provided or plating is performed to reduce friction. Further, when the optical path switching frequency is high, a bearing may be provided on the outer peripheral portion of the optical element.

The optical switch of the present invention described above has a first
Position reflection surface 2, second position reflection surface 8, first position reflection surface 2
And a path from the second position reflecting surface 8 to the third position reflecting surface 3 and the fourth position reflecting surface 9, and the third position reflecting surface 3 and the fourth position reflecting surface 9 leading to emitted light. An optical element 1 having an optical path and an optical element support 4 for supporting the optical element
And a rotation drive mechanism 5 for driving the optical element. In a specific optical path switching, as shown in FIG. 1, incident light from an optical fiber 7a is
The switching between the positions of the first position reflecting surface 2 and the second position reflecting surface 8 facing in the outer peripheral direction of the optical element 1 is performed by the rotation drive mechanism 5 that drives the optical element 1. As described above, the positional relationship between the optical element 1 forming the optical path and the optical fibers 7a, 7b, 7c is as follows.
As shown in FIG. 4, the configuration is such that stable reproducibility is obtained in geometrical and optical characteristics.

Next, a specific optical path switching mechanism will be described. The rotation drive mechanism 5 shown in FIG. 1 is an electromagnetic small motor. Since the optical element 1 of the optical switch according to the present invention is extremely small and lightweight, a rotary actuator using an electromagnetic force, a rotary actuator using a piezoelectric element, and a rotary actuator using an electrostatic force are used. Alternatively, a linear drive mechanism capable of switching the optical element 1 between the first position reflection surface 2 and the second position reflection surface 8 may be used. Basically, it is desirable that the rotary drive mechanism 5 has a procedure for determining specifications depending on the load of the drive target. But Figure 1
Since the optical element 1 itself is in the range of 0.05 to 3 gf, there is no need to select a power transmission mechanism or an indirect drive method in consideration of the torque and load inertia of the rotary drive mechanism 5.
Therefore, the rotation drive mechanism 5 selects from the optical path switching speed, the positioning accuracy, and the optical path switching frequency based on the required specifications of the optical switch.

In the trial production, an optical path is switched by directly connecting to the optical element 1 using a low-voltage and low-power-consumption type DC motor. The selection criterion for the rotation drive mechanism 5 is that an electric and mechanical time constant is small, and a torque, a current, a rotation speed, and a voltage characteristic have linear characteristics. The positioning of the optical element 1 is detected by an encoder of the formula. Drive voltage 1.5
At ~ 5 V, experimental results with an optical path switching speed of 0.5-5 msec have been obtained. In addition, based on the required specifications of the optical switch, a brushless motor, a stepping motor or an ultrasonic motor can be selected for practical use, and a built-in positioning control sensor or a sensor that directly detects the position of the optical element 1 is installed. Can also be used. Furthermore, in order to reduce the size of the optical switch, it is desired to configure the optical switch with the rotary drive mechanism 5 using a micro actuator having high responsiveness and excellent controllability.

The optical switch described above comprises a first position reflecting surface 2, a second position reflecting surface 8, an incident light, and a third position reflecting surface 3 through the first position reflecting surface 2 and the second position reflecting surface 8. And an optical element having an optical path composed of the third position reflecting surface 3 and the fourth position reflecting surface 9 for guiding outgoing light, and an optical element supporting the optical element 1. An arbitrary optical path is selected by the support 4 and the rotary drive mechanism 5 that drives the optical element 1. As described above, the optical switch according to the present invention can stably hold the selected optical path without supplying power, and can perform high-speed and easy optical path switching operation. Further, an optical switch of 1 × 2 (1 port on the input side, 2 ports on the output side) which can realize an extremely small optical switch configuration is realized.

[0037]

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, a compact and extremely stable configuration is realized with a minimum basic configuration including an optical element having an optical path selectively switched to the same incident light and a rotary drive mechanism. A simple optical path switching operation can be performed.

In the embodiment of the present invention, since the optical path of the optical element is selected by the rotary drive mechanism, the optical path switching operation can be performed at high speed by high-speed control of the rotary drive mechanism.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the optical element can be stably positioned on the support mechanism without supplying power to the rotary drive mechanism, so that the selected optical path can be self-held.

In the embodiment of the present invention, since the optical path length from the incident optical path to the output optical path in the optical element in the selected optical path is the same, there is no variation in the amount of light every time the optical path is switched.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, since the optical path length from the incident optical path to the output optical path in the optical element is extremely short, it is possible to reduce the optical loss when the optical fiber enters and exits.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a form of an optical switch.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an optical switch.

FIG. 3 is an example showing an optical path switching mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing components of an optical switch.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a conventional optical path switching device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 optical element 2 first position reflection surface 3 third position reflection surface 4 optical element support 5 rotating mechanism 6 optical fiber support 7a optical fiber 7b optical fiber 7c optical fiber 8 second position reflection surface 9 fourth position reflection surface 101 Optical fiber 102 Optical fiber 103 Optical fiber 104 Optical fiber 105 Reflector 106 Beam 107 Substrate 108 Insulating layer 109 A pair of electrodes

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A first and second optical path switching portion is formed on a surface of a rotating columnar member that rotates around a central axis, and the first and second optical paths are rotated by rotating the rotating columnar member. The switching unit rotates and the first and second optical path switching units facing the light incident from the first optical fiber are selectively switched, and the selected optical path switching unit from the first optical fiber. The light incident on the optical switch is reflected by the selected optical path switching unit, and then incident on the second or third optical fiber according to the selected optical path switching unit. . 2. The rotary columnar member is driven by a rotary drive mechanism, the rotary drive mechanism comprising an electromagnetic small motor, a rotary actuator using an electromagnetic force, a rotary actuator using a piezoelectric element, or an electrostatic force. 2. The optical switch according to claim 1, wherein the optical switch is a rotary actuator using a. 3. The optical switch according to claim 1, wherein the optical path switching unit is arranged at a predetermined angle around a central axis on an outer peripheral portion of the rotary columnar member. 4. The optical path switching section formed on the surface of the rotary columnar member, the optical path switching section includes a first reflecting surface that reflects incident light and a second reflecting surface that reflects light reflected by the first reflecting surface. The optical switch according to claim 1, comprising: 5. An optical path from the first optical fiber to the second optical fiber and an optical path from the first optical fiber to a third optical fiber have the same optical path length. The optical switch according to claim 1, wherein 6. The optical switch according to claim 4, wherein, in the optical path switching unit, the first reflection surface and the second reflection surface are arranged along a longitudinal direction of the rotary columnar member. . 7. A method according to claim 1, wherein a reflecting layer formed by a metal film selected from aluminum, titanium, gold, silver, tungsten, nickel or chromium or a laminate of these thin films is formed on the surface of the reflecting surface. The optical switch according to claim 4, wherein: 8. The optical switch according to claim 1, wherein the rotation center axis of the rotary columnar member and the optical path from the optical fiber intersect at right angles.