JP2005114778A - Optical path change-over switch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical path change-over switch having low loss, high yield and manufactured at a low cost, in which severe accuracy requirements in machining and positioning or the like for a conventional optical element and a driving device are remarkably relaxed. <P>SOLUTION: A typical example of the structure of an optical path change-over is that a fixed reflection element for changing over the optical path to a redundant circuit, and N movable optical units which are composed in a unit of: a first optical path parallel moving element having parallel faces for moving in parallel optical path to the fixed reflection element; and a second optical path parallel moving element which has parallel faces and moves the optical path which is moved with the first optical path parallel moving element and bent with the fixed reflection element to a position which is different from the reflection point of the fixed reflection element, are prearranged at prescribed respective node points of M circuits and N redundant circuits, and when a trouble occurs in a B-th collimator, the B-th movable optical unit is inserted into or retracted from the optical path which is made incident from a spare input collimator. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention is applied to an optical path changeover switch, and can greatly reduce accuracy in response to strict processing accuracy, positioning, and strict accuracy requirements of conventional optical elements and driving devices, and is low in cost and low in loss. The present invention relates to a high optical path switching switch.

As shown in FIG. 2, the conventional optical switch 1 ′ includes an input collimator 2B ′ and an output collimator 3B ′ on the base 12 ′, and moves up and down the drive solenoid 10 ′ installed at each intersection. An optical switch operation is performed by moving the movable reflecting mirror 20 ′ connected to the driving device into and out of the intersection of the input optical path and the output optical path (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).
The drawback of such a conventional optical switch is that a large number of drive solenoids 10 'corresponding to each movable reflecting mirror 20' are required to move a reflecting element such as the movable reflecting mirror 20 ', as is apparent from the figure. In addition, there is a drawback that not only extremely severe processing accuracy is required but also extremely accurate accuracy is required in positioning and angle determination.

Naoki Yamamoto and two others, “Prototype of 10 × 10 matrix optical switch” IEICE Transactions '81 / 12 VOLJ64-C NO12. P819-826

The problem to be solved requires not only extremely strict processing accuracy but also extremely strict accuracy in positioning and angle determination in order to move the reflecting element such as the movable reflecting mirror 20 'as shown in FIG. It is that it is done.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an optical path change-over switch that greatly relaxes the accuracy of processing and positioning and angle determination of optical elements and driving devices.

The present invention has been intensively studied to solve these problems,
First, a fixed reflection element for switching an optical path to a redundant line in each lattice portion of the M line and N redundant line, and a first optical path having mutually parallel surfaces for translating the optical path to the fixed reflection element Each of the translation elements is formed, the first optical path translation element is disposed in a predetermined grating portion, and when a failure occurs in the B-th input collimator, the B-th movable optical unit is replaced with a spare An optical path selector switch that switches the optical path by taking it in and out of the optical path incident from the input collimator.
Secondly, a fixed reflection element for switching the optical path to the redundant line in each lattice part of the M line N redundant line, and a first optical path having mutually parallel planes for translating the optical path to the fixed reflection element A second optical path parallel having parallel planes that are translated by the translation element and the optical path translation element, and that translate the optical path bent by the fixed reflection element to a position different from the reflection point of the fixed reflection element. N movable optical units unitized by moving elements are arranged in advance in a predetermined lattice portion, and when a failure occurs in the B-th input collimator, the B-th movable optical unit is set as a spare. An optical path selector switch that switches the optical path by taking it in and out of the optical path incident from the input collimator
Third, when a failure occurs in the B-th input collimator in the M-line and N-redundant line, the movable optical unit according to claim 1 is arranged in the B-th grating portion, and the movable optical unit With an optical path switching switch that switches the optical path by taking it in and out of the optical path incident from the spare input collimator,
The fourth is an optical path changeover switch provided with a fixing means for fixing to a predetermined grating part in the third unit movable optical unit,
Fifthly, in the fourth fixing means, by inserting the protrusion provided on the movable optical unit into the hole provided on the predetermined grating portion, the optical path translation element of the movable optical unit is determined in advance. It is an optical path switch that is fixed to the grating part.
Sixthly, in any of the first to fifth, when a failure occurs in the B-th input collimator 2B, the movable optical unit is moved up and down to enter from the spare input collimator. An optical path switching switch characterized by switching the optical path by taking it in and out of the optical path that has passed through a fixed reflecting mirror provided in another place,
Seventhly, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the height of light input to the first optical path translation element and the height of light output from the second optical path translation element are substantially the same. With optical path switch,
The eighth is an optical path switching switch in which the fixed reflection element is arranged so that the angle of the optical path bends substantially at a right angle in any one of the first to seventh.

    It is possible to provide a high-yield optical switch with low cost, low loss, and significant reduction in accuracy to meet the strict processing accuracy, positioning and angular accuracy requirements of conventional optical elements and drive devices. Become.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the optical path switching switch of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Conventionally, reflective elements with strict positioning and angular accuracy are made movable by a drive device provided for each reflective element, but the present invention fixes the reflective elements and translates the optical path with low positioning and angular accuracy. This is an optical path switching switch in which the element is movable.

  First, the first embodiment of the present invention has a configuration excluding the second translational prism 6B in FIG. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the fixed reflecting element and the movable optical unit are previously placed on the base. That is, the fixed reflection element and the first optical path translation element having parallel surfaces for translating the optical path to the fixed reflection element are formed, respectively, and if there is no problem, the optical path is changed from the input collimator to the output collimator. On the other hand, when a failure occurs in the Bth input collimator, the optical path is switched by moving the movable optical unit up and down and moving it in and out of the optical path incident from the spare input collimator.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. In the second embodiment, the fixed reflecting element and the movable optical unit are previously placed on the base. In this way, the optical path is switched by simply putting it in and out of the optical path without providing a fixing means. Here, the movable optical unit 5A does not have the protrusion 7, and is constituted by the first optical path translation prism 6A and the second optical path translation prism 6B, and is integrated. In the first embodiment of the present invention, N movable optical units 5A are arranged in advance, and if there is no problem, the optical path moves from the input collimator 2B to the output collimator 3B, while the Bth input collimator In the case where a failure occurs in 2B, the optical path is switched by moving the movable optical unit 5A up and down and taking it in and out of the optical path incident from the spare input collimator 2b.

  Unlike the first and second embodiments, the third embodiment of the present invention has a structure in which a movable unit is not placed in advance. When a malfunction occurs in the B-th input collimator 2B, the movable optical unit is moved to the B-th grating portion by the driving device without providing the fixing means (the projection 7 and the hole 8 in FIG. 1B). In this state (not fixed), the optical path is switched by putting it in and out of the optical path, and the drawing is omitted.

  The fourth embodiment of the present invention has a structure in which a fixing means for fixing to a predetermined lattice portion is provided in the unitized movable optical unit of the third embodiment. As the fixing means, the representative protrusion 7 and hole 8 have been described, but it is not necessary to be limited to this.

  A fifth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Thus, the case of the movable optical unit 5B having the protrusion 7 as the fixing means is shown. Here, the movable optical unit 5B is composed of the first optical path translation prism 6A, the second optical path translation prism 6B, and the protrusion 7, and is integrated. In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, when there is no malfunction, the optical path moves from the input collimator 2B to the output collimator 3B, and when a malfunction occurs in the B-th input collimator 2B, the movable optical unit is located at the malfunction location. 5B is arranged, and the movable optical unit 5B is moved up and down by the driving device 10 to be switched in and out of the optical path incident from the spare input collimator 2b. In this embodiment, in order to couple the spare input collimator 2b and the output collimator 3B, the movable optical unit 5B is installed at a predetermined position by the driving device 10, and the light emitted from the spare collimator 2b passes through the optical path 4A. After the optical path is switched by the second optical path translation prism 6B and reflected by the fixed reflecting mirror 9B, the reflected light is switched by the first optical path translation prism 6A, and the emitted light becomes the optical path 4B, and the output collimator 3B Incident to. In this case, the movable optical unit 5B is fixed to the hole 8 of the predetermined grating portion by inserting the protrusion 7 provided on the movable optical unit into the hole 8 provided in the predetermined grating portion. It is. At that time, the movable optical unit 5B has a structure in which the protruding portion 7 can be inserted and coupled into the hole portion 8 installed in the base 12 and fixed at the position after being released from the driving device 10. Yes.

  A sixth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. In the sixth embodiment, when any trouble occurs in the B-th input collimator 2B in any of the first to fifth embodiments, the movable optical unit 5A is moved up and down to enter from the spare input collimator 2b. In this structure, the optical path is switched by moving it in and out of the optical path that has passed through the fixed reflection mirror 9b provided at a location different from the grating portion.

  As a seventh embodiment of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth embodiments, the height of light input to the first optical path translation device and the height of light output from the second optical path translation device. The structure is almost the same.

  An eighth embodiment of the present invention is a structure in which the fixed reflecting element is arranged so that the angle of the optical path bends substantially at a right angle in any of the first to seventh embodiments.

  In the embodiments of the present invention, the fixed reflection mirror and the optical path translation prism have been described as typical examples. However, the fixed reflection mirror 9 does not necessarily have to be a mirror. Anything that changes The first and second optical path translation prisms 6A and 6B are not necessarily prisms. For example, any one may be used as long as two mirrors are arranged facing each other in parallel to move the optical path in parallel. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the collimator shown in the drawing, and the input / output may be reversed. Finally, as a typical example of the fixing means, the shape of the protrusion and the hole is shown, but the shape is not necessarily limited to this. Thus, it goes without saying that the present invention includes various modifications.

  Used in optical path changeover switches, it enables significant precision relaxation in response to strict accuracy requirements of the past.

(A) Light that is incident on the spare input collimator 2b by moving the movable optical unit 5A up and down in the event that a malfunction occurs in the B-th input collimator 2B by arranging N movable optical units 5A in advance. It is explanatory drawing of 2nd Example of the optical path switch 1A of this invention which switches an optical path by putting in / out on a path | route. FIG. 1B shows that when a malfunction occurs in the B-th input collimator 2B, the movable optical unit 5B is arranged at the malfunction location, and the movable optical unit 5B inserted into the hole 8 is connected to the driving device 10. It is explanatory drawing of 5th Example of the optical path change-over switch 1B of this invention which switches an optical path by making it go up and down by and putting in / out on the optical path which injected from the spare input collimator 2b. FIG. 1 (c) is a modification of FIG. 1 (a). When N movable optical units 5A are arranged in advance and a failure occurs in the B-th input collimator 2B, it is inserted into the hole 8. The movable optical unit 5A is moved up and down to enter the spare input collimator 2b, and the optical path is switched by moving it in and out of the optical path that has passed through the fixed reflecting mirror 9b provided at a location different from the grating portion. It is explanatory drawing of 6th Example of the optical path changeover switch 1C. In the Example of the conventional optical switch 1 ', it is explanatory drawing of the state which optical path 4A' passed movable movable mirror 20 '.

Explanation of symbols

1A Optical path switching switch of the present invention 1B Optical path switching switch of the present invention 1C Optical path switching switch of the present invention 2B Input collimator 2b Spare input collimator 3B Output collimator 4A Optical path 4B Optical path 5A Movable optical unit (no protrusion 7)
5B Movable optical unit (with protrusion 7)
6A 1st optical path translation prism 6B 2nd optical path translation prism 7 Protrusion part 8 Hole part 9B Fixed reflection mirror 9b Fixed reflection mirror 9H Fixed reflection mirror

10 Drive unit
12 Base 1 'Conventional optical switch 2B' Input collimator 3B 'Output collimator 4A' Optical path 4B 'Optical path
10 'drive solenoid
11 ′ shaft
12 ′ base
20 'movable reflective mirror

Claims (8)

  A fixed reflection element for switching the optical path to the redundant line and a first optical path translation element having parallel planes for translating the optical path to the fixed reflection element are formed in each lattice portion of the M line and the N redundant line, respectively. If the first optical path translating element is arranged in a predetermined grating portion and a problem occurs in the Bth input collimator, the Bth movable optical unit is made to enter the light incident from the spare input collimator. An optical path switching switch characterized by switching an optical path by taking it in and out of the road.   A fixed reflecting element for switching an optical path to a redundant line in each lattice part of the M line and N redundant line, a first optical path translating element having parallel planes for translating the optical path to the fixed reflecting element, and A unit comprising a second optical path translation element having parallel planes that translate in parallel with an optical path translation element and translate the optical path bent by the fixed reflection element to a position different from the reflection point of the fixed reflection element. N movable optical units that have been placed in advance are arranged in a predetermined lattice portion, and when a failure occurs in the B-th input collimator, the B-th movable optical unit is incident from a spare input collimator. An optical path switching switch characterized by switching an optical path by moving it in and out of the optical path.   In the case where a failure occurs in the B-th input collimator in the M-line and N-redundant line, the movable optical unit according to claim 1 is arranged in the B-th grating portion, and the movable optical unit is connected to the spare input collimator. An optical path switching switch, wherein the optical path is switched by moving the optical path in and out of the optical path incident from.   4. The optical path changeover switch according to claim 3, further comprising fixing means for fixing the unit to the predetermined grating portion.   5. The fixing means according to claim 4, wherein the optical path translation element of the movable optical unit is fixed to the predetermined grating portion by inserting the protrusion provided on the movable optical unit into the hole provided in the predetermined grating portion. An optical path switching switch characterized by   In any one of claims 1 to 5, when a failure occurs in the B-th input collimator 2B, the movable optical unit is moved up and down to enter from the spare input collimator, and separate from the grating portion. An optical path switching switch, wherein the optical path is switched by moving it in and out of the optical path that has passed through a fixed reflecting mirror provided at the location.   The height of the light input to the first optical path translation element is substantially the same as the height of the light output from the second optical path translation element according to any one of claims 1 to 6. An optical path changeover switch.   8. The optical path switching switch according to claim 1, wherein the fixed reflection element is arranged so that the angle of the optical path bends substantially at a right angle. 9.

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