JP3113423B2 - Optical line switching device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention selects a connector to be coupled from a fixed connector and couples the movable connector.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fail-safe mechanism in a case where a position designating means for designating a position to which a movable connector is to be coupled fails in an optical line switching device for switching an optical line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to cope with the era of high-speed and broadband services toward the 21st century, the use of optical fibers in public communication networks is being promoted at a rapid pace. In order to construct a wide-ranging optical fiber network, an operation system that can efficiently construct, maintain, and operate optical fiber cables is indispensable. Therefore, conventionally, development and introduction of an optical line test management system, an optical line switching test system, and the like corresponding to this demand have been promoted. In such a system, an optical line switching device for selecting an arbitrary optical fiber core from a large number of optical fibers in an optical fiber cable has recently become an important element.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a basic configuration of an optical line switching device. In the figure, 111 is an optical fiber on the test side, 112 is a connector on the moving side, 113 is an optical fiber on the side under test, 114 is a connector on the fixed side, and 115 is a sleeve. The fixed connector 114 containing the optical fiber 113 on the test side is inserted into the sleeve 115.
The sleeve 115 is configured as a split sleeve. In the figure, five fixed-side connectors 1 arranged in a horizontal direction are shown.
14 shows the inserted sleeve 115. In one example, 50 sleeves are arranged in the horizontal direction, and this is two in the vertical direction.
The optical fibers 113 on the test side having a total of 1000 fibers are arranged in 0 rows. On the other hand, the test-side optical fiber 111 is housed in the moving-side connector 112, and is moved by the holding means (not shown) in the horizontal and vertical directions, facing the sleeves 115 arranged in a matrix. It is inserted into a desired sleeve 115 and is coupled to the optical fiber 113. In general,
There are N fixed sides and a 1: N optical switch is configured, but the fixed side may be called an N-side connector and the movable side may be called a master connector.

FIG. 16 is a schematic configuration diagram of a system including a general optical line switching device. In the figure, 121 is an optical cable, 122 is an optical fiber coupler, 123 is a transmission device, 1
24 is an optical line switching device, 125 is a fixed connector, 12
6 is a split sleeve, 127 is a moving side connector, and 128 is a movable head.

[0005] The optical cable 121 is composed of a plurality of optical fibers, for example, a relay optical fiber cable. The optical cable 121 is the transmission device 1
23, the optical fiber coupler 1
22 is inserted, the optical signal is branched, and each optical fiber core in the optical cable 121 is introduced into the optical line switching device 124. The optical fiber core introduced into the optical line switching device 124 is fixed to a fixed-side connector 125, and a split sleeve 126 is provided at the end. Split sleeve 12
The fixed-side connectors 125 provided with 6 are arranged in a matrix. On the other hand, one or a plurality of movable connectors 127 are fixed to the movable head 128 and move in the X and Y directions to specify the fixed connector 125 to be coupled. In addition, the movable head 128
Then, the moving side connector 127 is inserted into the split sleeve 126 provided on the fixed side connector 125 to be connected, and both optical fibers are connected. Moving side connector 1
The optical fiber derived from 27 is connected to an optical instrument such as an optical measuring instrument.

In the optical line switching device used in such a system, it is necessary to accurately position the movable connector on the fixed connector to be coupled. However, accurate positioning is difficult due to errors in mounting the fixed-side connector and errors in the drive system for moving the movable head.

Various methods have been conventionally developed for accurate positioning. For example, JP-A-3-21151
In Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2003-115, a reference point is provided for each block, and the error is reduced by moving the movable head a short distance from the reference point. However, even with this technique, a slight error is included when moving from the reference point to the fixed connector to be coupled. In particular, it is necessary to refer to and search for the reference point every time the block changes, and high-speed access was not possible.

Japanese Patent Application No. 4-8500 proposes a technique in which a scale is provided around or inside a matrix of fixed connectors, and the scale is detected by a sensor to perform positioning. According to this technique, it is possible to accurately position each fixed-side connector. However, in the configuration of the fixed-side connector currently used,
Since the intervals between the fixed connectors are not all equal, the position of each fixed connector must be adjusted and stored in order to calculate the amount of movement when the movable head is moved. The position information of the fixed-side connector keeps increasing with an increase in the number of the fixed-side connectors. As the storage capacity increases, the setting labor also increases.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a fixed connector and a movable connector to be connected are aligned at high speed and accurately without storing the position of the fixed connector. It is another object of the present invention to provide an optical line switching device having a fail-safe mechanism which can perform the alignment even when the alignment mechanism fails.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided an optical line switching apparatus for selecting a connector to be coupled from a fixed side connector, coupling a movable side connector, and switching an optical line. A plurality of position specification means arranged along the array of the plurality of positions, and a plurality of position detection means provided on the moving side connector side, when at least one of the plurality of position specification means has failed, the failed position The fixed connector and the movable connector are positioned by a position specifying means near the specifying means and a plurality of position detecting means.

[0011]

According to the present invention, the position of the movable connector is indicated by the position designation means corresponding to the connector to be coupled on the fixed connector side, and the position detection provided on the movable connector side is indicated. Since the position to be stopped can be determined by the means, it is not necessary to count the scales and marks, and the positioning can be performed without storing the position of each fixed connector. Further, if the position of the position specifying means provided on the fixed connector side is accurately determined, accurate positioning can be performed.

Further, when at least one of the plurality of position specifying means has failed, the position is specified by the position specifying means adjacent to the failed position specifying means, and one of the plurality of position detecting means is selected. By performing the position detection, even if the position specifying means of the position to be specified fails, the positioning is not affected, and the fixed connector and the movable connector can be accurately positioned.

[0013]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a first embodiment of the optical line switching device according to the present invention. In the drawing, 1 is an X-axis substrate, 2 is a Y-axis substrate, 3 is an X-axis LED array, 4 is an X-axis light receiving section, 5 is an X-axis guide, 6 is a rack gear, 7 is an X-axis motor, 8 Is a Y-axis LED array, 9 is a Y-axis light receiving unit, 10
Denotes a Y-axis motor, 11 denotes a Y-axis driving unit, 12 denotes a base plate, and 13 denotes a fixed connector (N-side connector). In this embodiment, an LED array is used as the position specifying means, and a light receiving section is used as the position detecting means.

The X-axis LED array 3, the X-axis guide 5, the rack gear 6, and the plurality of fixed connectors 13 are fixed to the base plate 12. Fixed connector 13
Are arranged in a matrix for each block, as described later. The X-axis LED array 3 is arranged such that the LEDs are aligned with the positions of the fixed connector rows arranged in the Y direction in the X direction.
Is arranged. The X-axis substrate 1 moves on the X-axis guide 5
The rack gear 6 and the X-axis motor 7 on the X-axis substrate 1 move in the X-axis direction. Further, the X-axis substrate 1 is provided with an X-axis light receiving unit 4 opposed to the X-axis LED array 3.
The light of the emitted LED in the ED array 3 is received. Further, the X-axis substrate 1 includes a Y-axis substrate 2, a Y-axis driving unit 11 for driving the Y-axis substrate 2, and a Y-axis motor 1.
The 0, Y-axis LED array 8 is mounted. The Y-axis substrate 2 is configured to be movable in the Y-axis direction, and is moved in the Y-direction by the Y-axis driving means 11 by the driving force of the Y-axis motor 10. The Y-axis substrate 2 has
A light receiving unit 9 for the Y axis is provided so as to face the LED array 8 for the Y axis.
Of light. Further, a movable head (not shown) is provided on the Y-axis substrate 2 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction.
A Z-axis drive mechanism for moving the movable head in the Z-axis direction is mounted. A movable connector is fixed to the movable head, and the movable connector (master connector) is coupled to the fixed connector selected by the positioning in the X and Y directions by moving in the Z-axis direction. Positioning in the Z-axis direction is performed using an encoder or the like.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the fixed connector used in the present invention. In the figure, 12 is a base plate, 14
Is an adapter. A plurality of fixed-side connectors are fixed to the adapter 14 by a plurality, and a split sleeve is attached to each fixed-side connector, and is fixed to the base plate 12 in adapter units. As a specific example, the width of the adapter 14 is 24.8 m.
m, four fixed connectors are arranged in the adapter 14 in the X direction and two stages in the Y direction. The fixed connector has an interval in the X direction of 6 mm and an interval in the Y direction of 12 mm. When the plurality of adapters 14 are fixed to the base plate, the distance between the fixed side connectors in the X direction between adjacent adapters is 6.8 mm. Thus, the arrangement intervals of the fixed-side connectors are not all constant. The moving side connector is inserted into the split sleeve from the back side of the drawing, and both connectors are connected.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the position detecting unit in the first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. Reference numeral 15 denotes a slit, and 16 denotes a light receiving element. FIG. 3 shows the X-axis position detector as an example, but the Y-axis position detector may have the same configuration. In the X-axis light receiving section 4 provided on the X-axis substrate 1, a plurality of light receiving elements 16 are provided.
Are provided, and X provided on the base plate 12 is provided.
The light emitted from the LED in the axis LED array 3 is received. In the figure, three light receiving elements 16 are arranged. Normally, one of the plurality of light receiving elements 16 is used,
When the LED in the X-axis LED array 3 fails, another light receiving element is used. A slit 15 is provided on the surface of the X-axis LED array 3 to narrow down the light of the LED, narrow the width of the light, absorb an error in the arrangement of the LED, and enable accurate alignment. . Further, when the slit 15 is configured to transmit only the left or right half light of the LED, for example, when the left half light is transmitted, when the light receiving element 16 moves from right to left, A light receiving signal having a steep rise can be obtained, and more accurate positioning can be performed. However, in such a configuration, alignment can be performed only from one direction. If sufficient positioning can be performed by the LED light, the slit 1
5 may not be necessary. In addition, the LED can be configured with another light source such as a light bulb.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the relationship between the fixed connector and the position detecting section in the first embodiment of the present invention. In the drawing, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. 17 and 18 are overrun limit switches. For simplicity, only the X-axis direction is shown, and in the following description, only the X-direction will be described, but the same applies to the Y-direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the N-side connectors 13 are arranged in two rows of four on the adapter 14, and a plurality of adapters are arranged vertically and horizontally and fixed to a base plate (not shown). The adapter 14 does not necessarily need to be equipped with a fixed-side connector. In addition, in the drawing, a portion indicated by a black circle indicates a reset port used for resetting the position of the moving-side connector. The X-axis LED array 3 is arranged from the leftmost end to the rightmost end of the fixed connector row in accordance with the position in the X direction of the fixed connector row arranged in the Y direction. The position where this LED is arranged is the moving side connector on the X-axis substrate,
In consideration of, for example, a shift in the position in the X-axis direction where the light receiving unit is attached, it is also possible to attach the light-receiving unit so as to be shifted from the position in the X direction of the fixed connector row. As a specific example, when 8 adapters are arranged in the X-axis direction, 32 LEDs
Will be arranged. The light receiving element 16 is an LE for X-axis.
The D array 3 is moved from the right end to the left end. In the figure, S
1, three light receiving elements 1, M and S2 are shown. Normally,
Detection is performed using the light receiving element M at the center, and the moving side connector is arranged in alignment with the light receiving element M. The other light receiving elements S1 and S2 are used when an LED fails. At the right and left ends of the LED array 3, a left overrun limit switch 17 and a right overrun limit switch 18 are provided.
When the ED fails, it is possible to detect that the lighting LED could not be detected. The overrun limit switches 17 and 18 may be sensors having different configurations,
It suffices if the movable connector can be detected to move beyond the array 3. For example, an LED for overrun may be provided, or a photo interrupter may be used.

FIG. 5 is a schematic circuit diagram of an example of the control block of the motor of the present invention. In the figure, 21 and 22 are differential amplifiers, 23 is an A / D converter, 24 is a D / A converter, 25 is a servo lock switch, 26 is a motor drive circuit, and 27 is a motor. An electric signal based on the amount of light detected by the light receiving unit is input to the differential amplifier 22 and also to control means (not shown), for example, a CPU, via an A / D converter 23 for light reception level checking. On the other hand, the lock voltage set by the control means is the D / A converter 24
Are input to the differential amplifiers 21 and 22 via the. In the differential amplifier 21, the signal from the light receiving unit and the D / A converter 2
4 to output a comparison voltage with the lock voltage. The servo lock switch 25 selects one of the differential amplifiers 21 and 22 according to the switching signal of the control means. When the differential amplifier 21 is selected, the comparison voltage between the received light signal and the lock voltage is input to the motor drive circuit 26 via the servo lock switch 25, and the motor 27 can be controlled. In particular, in the first embodiment, it is possible to perform control so that the motor is decelerated or stopped at a position where the light receiving signal from the light receiving unit becomes large. When the servo lock switch 25 selects the differential amplifier 22, a signal corresponding to the lock voltage output from the control means is obtained from the differential amplifier 22, and the signal drives the motor drive circuit 26. By operating the motor 27, the motor 27 can be controlled.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the movable head used in the present invention. In the figure, 28 is a ferrule, 2
9 is a connector, and 30 is a floating leaf spring.
The ferrule 28 is the distal end of the movable connector and is connected to the fixed connector via a split sleeve. The connector 29 holds and fixes the ferrule 28. The floating leaf spring has an elastic force and is arranged vertically and horizontally in parallel. At the time of coupling with the fixed-side connector, the floating leaf spring absorbs the positional deviation with respect to a minute positional deviation, and can perform accurate alignment to couple the connector.

Next, the normal operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing one operation example of the first embodiment of the optical line switching device of the present invention. In the following description, movement in the X-axis direction will be described for simplicity, but movement in the Y-axis direction can be similarly performed. The position of the moving-side connector before the movement is assumed to be stored in the control means. Alternatively, the alignment may be performed from the reset port shown in FIG.

First, in S31, the LED corresponding to the X position of the fixed connector to be connected is turned on. At the same time, in S32, the X of the moving side connector before the movement is set.
From the position and the X position of the movement target, it is determined whether the X-axis substrate 1 should be moved left or right. And S
At 33, the X-axis substrate 1 is moved. During the movement, in S34, the presence or absence of the lit LED is monitored. If the lit LED is not detected, the process returns to S33, and the movement is further performed. When the lit LED is detected, the movement of the X-axis substrate 1 is stopped in S35. In this manner, the fixed connector to be coupled is positioned at the X position.

Thus, according to the method of the present invention, FIG.
In the case where the distance between the fixed connectors between the adapters is different from the distance between the fixed connectors in the adapter as shown in FIG. 4, the positioning can be performed without memorizing the positions of the fixed connectors. Can do it. However, in the positioning method based on such an operation, there is no significant problem when the moving speed is low, but it takes a long time for the coupling in a long-distance movement. When the X-axis substrate 1 is moved at a high moving speed, it may stop past a predetermined stop position due to inertia of the motor. In order to avoid the problem, it is conceivable to shift the position where the LEDs are arranged. However, for example, when moving to the next fiber, the moving speed may not be so high, and it cannot be solved only by uniformly shifting the position of the LED.

For this purpose, a deceleration start point is determined at a position having a predetermined positional relationship with the moving target, the deceleration starting point is detected first, the moving speed is reduced, and the moving target is detected in a low-speed movement state. be able to. If you do this,
Even if the moving distance is long, the moving can be performed at high speed, and the moving target is not passed. Hereinafter, a positioning method using the deceleration start point will be described.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing another operation example of the first embodiment of the optical line switching device of the present invention. FIG.
Similarly, the movement in the X-axis direction will be described, but the movement in the Y-axis direction can be similarly performed. First,
In S41, the LED at the deceleration start point is turned on, and in S42, the moving direction of the X-axis substrate 1 is determined from the X position of the moving connector before movement and the X position of the movement target. Then, in S43, high-speed movement is performed in the movement direction. During the high-speed movement, the presence or absence of the lit LED is monitored in S44, and the high-speed movement of S43 is performed while the lit LED is not detected. When the lit LED is detected, in S45, the movement speed is reduced, the LED at the deceleration start point is turned off, and the LED at the movement target position is lit. In step S46, the X-axis substrate 1 is moved at a low speed. During the low-speed movement, in step S47, the presence or absence of a lit LED is monitored.
When the lit LED is detected, in S48,
Stop moving. In this manner, the fixed connector to be coupled is positioned at the X position.

The deceleration start point is, for example, the moving target LED.
Can be used. Alternatively, LEDs at certain intervals may be used. The LED to be turned on as the deceleration start point need only be turned on for the LED before the movement target when viewed from the moving direction of the X-axis substrate 1. For example, an adjacent LED as the deceleration start point
Is turned on, when the X-axis substrate 1 moves from left to right, only the left LED of the movement target needs to be turned on. In this case, the determination of the moving direction in S42 in FIG. 6 is performed at a stage prior to the lighting of the LED at the deceleration start point in S41. However, to simplify the lighting control, the LEDs on both sides of the moving target may be turned on. Further, the LED at the movement target position does not necessarily need to be turned on from the time of turning on the LED at the deceleration start point, and may be configured to be turned on when the deceleration start point is detected. In this way, when the LED at the deceleration start point fails, the LED at the movement target position is erroneously determined to be the deceleration start point, thereby preventing malfunction. When a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged in the light receiving section, the deceleration start point may be the same LED as the movement target position. For example, when moving from left to right, the LED at the movement target position is detected by the light receiving element on the right side of the light receiving section, and after deceleration, the light receiving element to be detected is switched to the center to change the LE of the movement target position.
What is necessary is just to control so that D may be detected.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a main part of a second embodiment of the optical line switching device according to the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description is omitted. 51 is a light receiving element group, 52 is a light emitting unit, and 53 is an LED. In the second embodiment, a light receiving element group 51 as a position designating means is disposed on the base plate 12 side, and a light emitting unit as a position detecting means for causing the light receiving element group 51 to detect a position on the X-axis substrate 1 side. 52 are arranged. A plurality of LEDs 53 are built in the light emitting section 52 and are configured to emit light toward the light receiving element group 51 on the base plate 12. In the figure, three LEDs 53 are arranged. Normally, one of the plurality of LEDs 53 is used, but when a light receiving element in the light receiving element group 51 fails, another LED is used. Each light receiving element of the light receiving element group 51 is arranged in accordance with the position in the X direction of the fixed connector row arranged in the Y direction. This configuration can be applied not only to the X-axis direction but also to the Y-axis direction. In this case, Y-axis LED
A light receiving element group for the Y axis may be used instead of the array, and a light emitting unit for the Y axis may be used instead of the light receiving unit for the Y axis. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and the description is omitted. A slit may also be provided on the light receiving element side.

The operation of the second embodiment is almost the same as the operation of the first embodiment. The difference is that the light receiving unit is selected instead of turning on the LED, and that the selected light receiving unit detects the light emitted from the moving light emitting unit.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the normal operation of the second embodiment of the present invention. First, an operation when the deceleration start point is not used will be described. First, in S61, the light receiving element corresponding to the X position of the fixed connector to be coupled is selected, and the light emitting unit on the X-axis substrate 1 is turned on. At the same time, in S62, the X-axis substrate 1
To determine the direction of movement. Then, in S63, the X-axis substrate 1 is moved. During the movement, at S64,
The presence / absence of light emitted from the light emitting unit is monitored by the selected light receiving element. If the light emitted from the light emitting unit is not detected, the process returns to S63, and further moves. When the light emitted from the light emitting unit is detected, the movement of the X-axis substrate 1 is stopped in S65. In this manner, the fixed connector to be coupled is positioned at the X position.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing another example of the normal operation of the second embodiment of the present invention. In this example, an operation when a deceleration start point is used will be described. First, S71
In, while selecting the light receiving element of the deceleration start point,
The light emitting unit is turned on, and in S72, the moving direction of the X-axis substrate 1 is determined. Then, in S73, high-speed movement is performed in the movement direction. During the high-speed movement, the output from the selected light receiving element is monitored in S74, and the high-speed movement in S73 is performed while the light emitted from the light emitting unit is not detected. When the light emitted from the light emitting unit is detected, in S75, the moving speed is reduced and the light receiving element at the moving target position is selected. In S76, the X-axis substrate 1 is moved at a low speed. During the low-speed movement, in S77, the output of the light receiving element at the selected movement target position is monitored. Make a move. When the light emitted from the light emitting unit is detected, the movement is stopped in S78. In this manner, the fixed connector to be coupled is positioned at the X position. The selection of the light receiving element at the deceleration start point can be determined in the same manner as the selection of the LED to emit light in the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 shows a third embodiment of the optical line switching device according to the present invention.
It is explanatory drawing of the principal part of Example of this. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description is omitted. 81 is a light receiving element, 82 is a light emitting element, 83 is a light-shielding / light-transmitting switching means, 84
Is a light transmitting part. The light receiving element 81 and the light emitting element 82
The photo-interrupter is provided on the X-axis substrate 1 and opposed to the light-shielding / light-transmissive switching means 83 with the light-shielding / light-transmitting switching means 83 interposed therebetween. In the figure, three sets of photo interrupters are provided, but the number is not limited to three, and a plurality of sets of photo interrupters may be used. Normally, one of a plurality of photo interrupters is used. However, when the light-shielding / light-transmitting switching means 83 fails and a light-transmitting portion cannot be formed at a predetermined position, another photo interrupter is used. The light-shielding / light-transmitting switching means 83, which is a position designating means,
, And the translucent portion 84 can be arranged in accordance with the position in the X direction of the fixed side connector row arranged in the Y direction. Specifically, a hole is formed in the plate at a position where the light-transmitting portion 84 can be formed, and a shutter for opening or closing the hole is provided for each hole. It can be configured to form the light transmitting portion 84. In addition, a liquid crystal shutter can be used to electrically control only the position where the light-transmitting portion 84 is formed so as to have light-transmitting properties. This configuration can be applied not only to the X-axis direction but also to the Y-axis direction. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and the description is omitted.

The operation of the third embodiment is almost the same as that of the first embodiment. The difference is that the light-transmitting portion of the light-shielding light-transmitting switching means is selected instead of turning on the LED,
And detecting the light-transmitting portion by a photo interrupter.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the normal operation of the third embodiment of the present invention. First, an operation when the deceleration start point is not used will be described. First, in S91, a light transmitting portion is provided at a position corresponding to the X position of the fixed connector to be coupled, and the light emitting portion of the photo interrupter is turned on. At the same time, in S92, the moving direction of the X-axis substrate 1 is determined. Then, in S93, the X-axis substrate 1 is moved. During the movement, the output of the photo-interrupter is monitored in S94, and the process returns to S93 while the light passing through the light transmitting unit is not detected, and further moves. When the light passing through the light transmitting portion is detected, S9
At 5, the movement of the X-axis substrate 1 is stopped. In this manner, the fixed connector to be coupled is positioned at the X position.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing another example of the normal operation of the third embodiment of the present invention. In this example, an operation when a deceleration start point is used will be described. First, S10
In step 1, a light-transmitting portion is provided at a position serving as a deceleration start point, and a light-emitting portion of a photo-interrupter is turned on.
In 2, the moving direction of the X-axis substrate 1 is determined. Then, in S103, high-speed movement is performed in the movement direction.
During the high-speed movement, the output from the photo-interrupter is monitored in S104, and the high-speed movement in S103 is performed as long as the light that has passed through the light transmitting unit is not detected. When the light that has passed through the light transmitting portion is detected, in S105, the moving speed is reduced, the light transmitting portion at the deceleration start point is shielded, and the light transmitting portion is provided at the movement target position. In S106, X-axis substrate 1
Is moved at a low speed. During the low-speed movement, the output of the photo-interrupter is monitored in S107, and the low-speed movement in S106 is performed while no light passing through the light transmitting portion is detected. When the light passing through the light transmitting portion is detected, the movement is stopped in S108. In this manner, the fixed connector to be coupled is positioned at the X position. The formation position of the translucent portion as the deceleration start point can be determined in the same manner as the selection of the LED to emit light in the first embodiment.

The above-described first to third embodiments can be applied only to the X-axis direction or only the Y-axis direction, or can be applied to both the X-axis and the Y-axis directions. It is. Furthermore, it is of course possible to apply and configure the configuration of another embodiment in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

In the above description, the alignment control during the normal operation has been described. However, the LEDs, the light receiving elements, the light-transmitting portions of the light-shielding light-transmitting switching means, and the like as the position specifying means are arranged in the same number as the arrangement of the fixed-side connectors, so that the number is large and the probability of failure increases. If the position designating means breaks down, positioning at the failed position becomes impossible, and if the position designating means at the deceleration start point breaks down, positioning at an adjacent position becomes impossible. Therefore, every time a failure is detected, the optical line switching device is stopped and repair is performed. However, this lowers the operation rate, makes it inconvenient to use, and hinders efficient operation of the optical fiber network. Hereinafter, fail-safe control for positioning the moving-side connector even when such a failure of the position specifying means has occurred will be described. In the following description, the LED will be described based on the first embodiment. However, the LED in the description is used as a light receiving element or a light transmitting portion of a light-shielding / light-transmitting switching unit, and the light receiving portion is an LED or a photo interrupter. The second and third embodiments can be similarly configured.

As a premise of the following description, it is assumed that the LED and the light receiving section are arranged as shown in FIG.
As described in the description of FIG. 2, the distance between the connectors in the adapter 14 is different from the distance between the connectors between the adapters. The light receiving elements 16 arranged in the light receiving section are arranged at the same interval as the interval between the connectors in the adapter 14 from the left.
It is assumed that three are arranged in the order of 1, M, and S2. In the positioning operation, control using the deceleration start point as described with reference to FIG. 8 is performed. In cases other than these assumptions, for example,
If the intervals between the adapters are all constant, omit the processing of different pitches.If the deceleration start point is not used, set the deceleration start point and omit the function of deceleration. Good. Furthermore, of the slit configuration described in FIG. 3, the right half of the LED is configured to transmit,
The final positioning is always from left to right,
It shall be performed with high accuracy. However, even with the other configuration shown in the description of FIG. 3, it is possible to detect the failure of the LED and perform processing at the time of failure based on the same concept. For example, L
When the left half of the ED is configured to transmit, the final positioning may be performed by moving from right to left, or when transmitting light in the center or without a slit. May be configured to perform positioning by detecting the LED from either direction.

The method of detecting the failure of the LED and the processing at the time of the failure include the position of the failed LED, the role of the LED,
It needs to be changed depending on the moving direction of the light receiving section. The simplest example could be to move to an adjacent connector in the same adapter. In this case, since the deceleration start point is the currently stopped position, the LE of this deceleration start point is
The failure of D can be detected by monitoring the output of the light receiving element before the start of the movement. However, when the LED at the movement target position is out of order, as described in FIG.
Since the moving-side connector is moved until the lit LED is detected, the movement is started after detecting the deceleration start point, and the moving target connector cannot be detected and moves to the end of the LED array. . As also shown in FIG.
An overrun limit switch is provided at the end of the LED array, and failure of the LED at the movement target position is detected by the overrun limit switch. When the failure of the LED at the movement target position is detected by the overrun limit switch, the movement is started from the end of the LED array, and after detecting the deceleration start point,
The LED adjacent to the moving target position is turned on, and the light L
By detecting the ED, the central light receiving element can be positioned at the movement target position, and the movement side connector can be positioned. At this time, it is necessary to determine whether the LED to be lit is to the left or right of the movement target position depending on the moving direction of the moving connector.
Furthermore, if the LED to be turned on is an adapter different from the adapter at the movement target position, even if the left and right light receiving elements detect the lighting LED, the difference between the LED interval and the light receiving element interval causes You cannot stop in position. Therefore, the LED to be turned on as the movement target position
Needs to be changed depending on whether the movement target position is at the end or the middle of the connector. In addition, the positioning of the LED at the end or near the end of the LED array is close to the overrun limit switch and within the range of low-speed movement. It becomes unnecessary. In addition, under the above-described conditions, final positioning is always performed by moving from left to right, so, for example, when performing positioning from the right overrun limit switch, once move to the left side of the movement target position, After pausing, it is necessary to perform final positioning by moving to the right.

As described above, the method for detecting the failure of the LED and dealing with the failure includes the position of the failed LED,
, Ie, the LED at the deceleration start point, the LED at the movement target position, and the moving distance and moving direction of the moving connector. These are shown in FIGS.
Summarized in In these figures, the relationship between the LED array and the light receiving element is as described in FIG. In FIG. 4, four fixed connectors are arranged in one adapter. A connector adjacent to another adapter on the left and right is called a connector of a different pitch, and two connectors between them are called connectors of an equal pitch. Call. The distance between the connector on the left and the connector on the left and the connector on the left is wider than the distance between the connector on the right and the connector on the left. Similarly, the interval between the connector having the different pitch on the right side and the connector on the right side becomes wider. n indicates the moving distance, regardless of whether the distance is wide or narrow, the moving distance to an adjacent connector is n = 1, and the distance to other connectors is n> 1.
As shown. TP indicates an LED at a target position,
(TP-1) is the LED adjacent to the left side of the target position,
(TP-2) indicates an LED two to the left of the target position, and (TP + 1) indicates an LED adjacent to the right of the target position. As shown in FIG. 4, three light receiving elements are also arranged in the light receiving section. The central light receiving element is denoted by M, the left light receiving element is denoted by S1, and the right light receiving element is denoted by S2.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of an LED failure detecting method in the optical line switching device of the present invention. In FIG. 17, L
Classification is made according to the role of the ED and the moving distance, and a failure detection method is shown. As in the above-described example, when the movement to the adjacent connector in the same adapter, that is, the movement distance n = 1 and the LED at the deceleration start point fails, the failure detection is performed before the movement starts. This can be done by monitoring M. However, when the failed LED is the LED at the movement target position, after moving to the end of the LED array, the overrun limit switch detects an overrun of the movement side connector. Is detected. If the moving target is not an adjacent connector, that is, if n> 1, even if the LED at the deceleration start point fails, the deceleration start point cannot be detected, and the deceleration start point is detected by the overrun limit switch. An LED failure is detected. When the LED at the movement target position fails, the LED at the deceleration start point can be detected. Therefore, after performing the deceleration operation, the failure of the LED at the movement target position is detected by the overrun limit switch.

FIGS. 18 and 19 are schematic illustrations of a method for processing an LED failure in the optical line switching device of the present invention. When the failure of the LED is detected as shown in FIG. 17, the positioning process is performed without using the failed LED. FIG.
FIG. 19 shows the case where the failed LED is the deceleration start point.
Is the case where the failed LED is at the movement target position. In each case, the classification is shown according to the type of the moving distance, the moving direction, and the target position. The columns of deceleration, positioning, and pause in FIG. 19 provided for each of the classified items indicate LEDs and light-receiving elements used for deceleration, pause, and positioning performed during failure processing. I have. Items in these columns with a “-” sign indicate that the corresponding processing is not performed during the failure processing. Further, specific examples of the failure processing corresponding to each item are shown in FIGS. 20 to 53, respectively, and only the figure numbers are shown.

As an example, as in the above-described example, the movement is to a connector of adjacent equal pitch, and the movement direction is right,
If the LED at the deceleration start point has failed, it is known that the LED at the deceleration start point has failed at the stopped position. LED of the light receiving element M
Indicates that the positioning is performed by detecting the lighting LED using. In the same case, when the LED at the movement target position fails, the failure is detected by the overrun limit switch at the right end of the LED array, and then the LED at the deceleration start point is located on the left (T
The LED in P-1) is turned on to start moving leftward, and the deceleration start point is detected using the left light receiving element S1 as the light receiving element. When the deceleration start point is detected, the light receiving element is decelerated, the light receiving element is switched to the central light receiving element M for temporary stop, and the light emitting element, that is, the light receiving element is located at the position of the LED on the left (TP-1) of the left of the movement target position. Perform deceleration movement until M comes. After the pause, the light receiving element is switched to the left light receiving element S1 again, and starts moving rightward.
When the light receiving element S1 detects the lighting LED on the left of the movement target position, the movement is stopped and the positioning is performed. As described above, the failure detection of the LED and the processing at the time of the failure are performed. Hereinafter, in each case, the processing at the time of failure will be described using a specific example.

FIGS. 20 to 53 are explanatory diagrams of a specific example of a method for processing an LED failure in the optical line switching device of the present invention. In these figures, for the sake of simplicity, three adapters each having four connectors arranged in one direction are shown.
2,. . . , P12. The light receiving section has three light receiving elements as shown in FIG.
1, M and S2. Further, the position where the vehicle is currently stopped is indicated by “present”, the movement target position is indicated by “target”, and “x” indicates a failed LED. In some figures, a transition graph of the moving speed is added. In the transition graph of the moving speed, the upper side shows the movement in the left direction, and the lower side shows the movement in the right direction. Also, the farther the arrow is from the center line, the faster the speed is,
Regarding the overlapped portions of the arrows, the figures are slightly shifted up and down even at the same speed.

FIG. 20 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point and moves to the adjacent connector (n = 1).
This is a specific example in a case where the movement target position is the left end in the leftward movement. In this case, the currently stopped position is P2 (). The deceleration start point is P2, and the failure of the LED at the deceleration start point P2 can be detected by detecting the output of the light receiving element M at the stopped position. Therefore, the process of moving to the movement target position is performed without detecting the deceleration start point. That is, the LED of the movement target position P1 is turned on, the movement side connector is moved to the left, and the light receiving element M
When the LED at the position 1 is detected, the LED is slightly overdone and then temporarily stopped (), and while moving to the right, the position of P1 is accurately detected to perform positioning ().

FIG. 21 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point and is moved to an adjacent connector (n = 1).
This is a specific example in a case where the connector is moved to the left and the movement target position is a connector having an equal pitch. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P7, and the movement target position is P6 (). The deceleration start point is P7, and the failure of the LED at the deceleration start point P7 can be detected by detecting the output of the light receiving element M at the stopped position. Therefore, the process of moving to the movement target position is performed without detecting the deceleration start point. That is, the LED of the movement target position P6 is turned on, the moving side connector is moved to the left, and the light receiving element M
When the LED at the position of 6 is detected, it goes a little too far and then temporarily stops (), and moves to the right to accurately detect the position of P6 to perform positioning ().

FIG. 22 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point and is moved to the adjacent connector (n = 1).
This is a specific example in the case where the connector is moved leftward and the target position of movement is a connector having a different pitch, and the left side of the connector is widely open. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P6
And the movement target position is P5 (). The deceleration start point is P6, and the failure of the LED at the deceleration start point P6 can be detected by detecting the output of the light receiving element M at the stopped position. Therefore, without detecting the deceleration start point,
A movement process to the movement target position is performed. That is, the LED of P5 which is the movement target position is turned on, the moving side connector is moved to the left, and when the LED at the position of P5 is detected by the light receiving element M, it goes a little too far and then pauses (), while moving to the right. Positioning is performed by accurately detecting the position of P5 ().

FIG. 23 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point and is moved to an adjacent connector (n = 1).
This is a specific example in which the connector is moved to the left and the target position is a connector with a different pitch, and the right side of the connector is widely open. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P9
And the movement target position is P8 (). The deceleration start point is P9, and the failure of the LED at the deceleration start point P9 can be detected by detecting the output of the light receiving element M at the stopped position. Therefore, without detecting the deceleration start point,
A movement process to the movement target position is performed. That is, the LED of P8 which is the movement target position is turned on, the moving side connector is moved to the left, and when the LED at the position of P8 is detected by the light receiving element M, it goes a little too far and then temporarily stops () and moves to the right. Positioning is performed by accurately detecting the position of P8 ().

FIG. 24 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point and is moved to an adjacent connector (n = 1).
This is a specific example in the case of rightward movement and the movement target position is at the right end. In this case, the currently stopped position is P11 (). The deceleration start point is P11, and the failure of the LED at the deceleration start point P11 can be detected by detecting the output of the light receiving element M at the stopped position. for that reason,
Movement processing to the movement target position is performed without detecting the deceleration start point. That is, L of P12 which is the movement target position
The ED is turned on, the movable connector is moved to the right, and the LED at the position P12 is detected by the light receiving element M to perform positioning (). Moving to the right does not require a pause after going too far.

FIG. 25 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point and is moved to an adjacent connector (n = 1).
This is a specific example in the case of a rightward movement, where the movement target position is a connector having an equal pitch. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P6, and the movement target position is P7 (). The deceleration start point is P6, and the failure of the LED at the deceleration start point P6 can be detected by detecting the output of the light receiving element M at the stopped position. Therefore, the process of moving to the movement target position is performed without detecting the deceleration start point. That is, the LED of P7 which is the movement target position is turned on, the moving side connector is moved to the right, and P7
Positioning is performed by detecting the LED at position 7 ().

FIG. 26 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point and is moved to the adjacent connector (n = 1).
This is a specific example in the case where the connector is moved rightward and the target position of movement is a connector having a different pitch, and the left side of the connector is widely open. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P8
And the movement target position is P9 (). The deceleration start point is P8, and the failure of the LED at the deceleration start point P8 can be detected by detecting the output of the light receiving element M at the stopped position. Therefore, without detecting the deceleration start point,
A movement process to the movement target position is performed. That is, the LED of P9 which is the movement target position is turned on, the moving side connector is moved to the right, and the LED at the position of P9 is detected by the light receiving element M to perform positioning ().

FIG. 27 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point and is moved to an adjacent connector (n = 1).
This is a specific example in a case where the connector is moved rightward and the movement target position is a connector having a different pitch, and the right side of the connector is widely open. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P7
And the movement target position is P8 (). The deceleration start point is P7, and the failure of the LED at the deceleration start point P7 can be detected by detecting the output of the light receiving element M at the stopped position. Therefore, without detecting the deceleration start point,
A movement process to the movement target position is performed. That is, the LED at P8, which is the movement target position, is turned on, the movable connector is moved to the right, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at P8 to perform positioning ().

FIG. 28 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point and moves to a connector that is not adjacent but is distant (n>
This is a specific example in the case of 1), in which the movement is to the left and the movement target position is at the left end. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P4 (). The deceleration start point is P2, but this LED has failed and is not lit. Then, the moving-side connector starts moving at high speed to the left from P4, moves past the deceleration start point P2, moves to the position of the left overrun limit switch, and stops ().
At this point, it is detected that the deceleration start point P2 has failed. The position of the overrun limit switch is an area where the overrun limit switch has already moved at a low speed because the movement target position is at the left end. Therefore, the process of moving to the movement target position is performed without detecting the deceleration start point. That is, the LED of P1 which is the movement target position is turned on, the moving side connector is moved to the right from the position of the overrun limit switch at a low speed, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position of P1 to perform positioning (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG.

FIG. 29 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point, and the LED is not adjacent but moved to a connector at a remote position (n>
1) is a specific example of the case where the leftward connector among the connectors of the same pitch, that is, P2, when the target device is moved in the left direction. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P6 (). The deceleration start point is P3, but this LED has failed and is not lit.
Then, the moving side connector starts moving at high speed to the left from P6, moves past the deceleration start point P3, moves to the position of the left overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the deceleration start point P3 has failed. The position of the overrun limit switch is not so far from the movement target position P2,
It is an area that moves at low speed. Therefore, the process of moving to the movement target position is performed without detecting the deceleration start point. That is, the LED of the movement target position P2 is turned on,
Move the moving side connector to the right from the position of the overrun limit switch at low speed,
Is detected and positioning is performed (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG.

FIG. 30 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point, and the LED is not adjacent but moved to a connector located at a distance (n>).
This is a specific example in the case of 1), in which the connector is moved to the left and the movement target position is a connector having the same pitch, other than the leftmost connector described with reference to FIG. In this specific example,
The currently stopped position is P9, and the movement target position is P6.
(). The deceleration start point is P7.
The ED has failed and is not lit. Then, the moving-side connector starts moving at a high speed to the left from P9, and the deceleration start point P7
After passing through, move to the position of the left overrun limit switch and stop. At this point, it is detected that the deceleration start point P7 has failed. After detecting the failure,
Next, the moving process is performed so as to move the moving side connector to the right and stop at the movement target position. That is, first, the LED at P5 is turned on as a deceleration start point, the moving side connector is moved to the right from the position of the overrun limit switch at a high speed, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position of P5. Then, while decelerating, the LED at P6, which is the movement target position, is turned on, the LED at the position of P6 is detected by the light receiving element M, and positioning is performed (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG.

FIG. 31 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point, and the LED is not adjacent but moved to a connector located far away (n>).
This is a specific example of the case 1), in which the connector is moved to the left, the target position of movement is a connector having a different pitch, and the left side of the connector is widely open. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P7, and the movement target position is P5 (). The deceleration start point is P6, but this LED has failed and is not lit. Then, the moving side connector becomes P7
Starts moving at high speed to the left, moves past the deceleration start point P6, moves to the position of the left overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the deceleration start point P6 has failed. After the failure is detected, a moving process is performed to move the moving side connector to the right and stop at the movement target position. That is, first, as the deceleration start point, the LED of P4 is turned on, the moving connector is moved rightward from the position of the overrun limit switch at a high speed, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position of P4 (). Then, while decelerating, the LED at the position P5, which is the movement target position, is turned on, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position P5 to perform positioning (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG.

FIG. 32 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point, and moves to a connector that is not adjacent but is distant (n>
1) This is a specific example of a case in which the connector is moved to the left, the target position of movement is a connector having a different pitch, and the right side of the connector is widely open. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P7, and the movement target position is P4 (). The deceleration start point is P5, but this LED has failed and is not lit. Then, the moving side connector becomes P7
From the deceleration start point P5 to the left overrun limit switch and stop. At this point, it is detected that the deceleration start point P5 has failed. After the failure is detected, a moving process is performed to move the moving side connector to the right and stop at the movement target position. That is, first, the LED at P3 is turned on as a deceleration start point, the moving side connector is moved rightward from the position of the overrun limit switch at high speed, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position of P3 (). Then, while decelerating, the LED at P4, which is the movement target position, is turned on, the LED at the position of P4 is detected by the light receiving element M, and positioning is performed (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG.

FIG. 33 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point, and the LED is moved to a connector that is not adjacent but distant (n>
This is a specific example in the case of 1), in which the movement is to the right and the movement target position is at the right end. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P8 (). Deceleration start point is P11
However, this LED has failed and is not lit. Then, the moving-side connector starts moving rightward from P8 to the right, moves past the deceleration start point P11, moves to the position of the right overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the deceleration start point P11 has failed. The position of the overrun limit switch is a region where the overrun limit switch moves at a low speed near the right end which is the movement target position. However, for accurate positioning, it is necessary to adjust the position by moving to the right. Therefore, the position is first moved to the left and then moved to the right again to perform positioning. LED to the left of the target position to move to the left once
Lights up. However, P on the left of the movement target position P12
11 is a faulty LED, so P1 next to it is
The LED 0 is turned on. After the LED of P10 is turned on, low-speed movement to the left is started, and P10
The LED at the position is detected and the operation is temporarily stopped (). Then, the LED at P12, which is the movement target position, is turned on, and the LED moves at a low speed to the right.
Positioning is performed by detecting D (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG. As described above, the process of moving once to the left and then moving to the right to perform positioning is performed by the LED of P12 which is the movement target position.
Is turned on to move to the left. For example, P
It is also possible to detect the 12 LEDs, stop once at a position where P12 has gone too far, and move it to the right again to control to perform accurate positioning.

FIG. 34 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point, and moves to a connector that is not adjacent but distant (n>
1) is a specific example in the case of a connector moving at a right pitch and having a movement target position at an equal pitch. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P4, and the movement target position is P7 (). The deceleration start point is P6.
The ED has failed and is not lit. Then, the moving-side connector starts moving from P4 to the right at a high speed, and the deceleration start point P6
And moves to the right overrun limit switch and stops. At this point, it is detected that the deceleration start point P6 has failed. For accurate positioning, it is necessary to adjust the position by moving to the right. Therefore, the position is first moved to the left from the movement target position, and then moved to the right again to perform positioning. In order to move to the left from the movement target position, the left LED of the movement target position is turned on. However, since P6 on the left of the movement target position P7 is a faulty LED, the LED on P5 next to it is turned on. After the LED of P5 is turned on, high-speed movement to the left is started, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position of P5 and temporarily stops (). At this time, because of high-speed movement, the vehicle stops at a position a little over the position of P5.
Then, the LED of P7 which is the movement target position is turned on,
Move to the right at low speed.
Positioning is performed by detecting D (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG. The above-described process of moving once to the left and then moving to the right to perform positioning is performed by turning on the LED of P7, which is the movement target position, moving at high speed to the left, and using the light receiving element M to determine the position of P7. It is also possible to detect the LED, stop once at a position where P7 has gone too far, and move it to the right again to control to perform accurate positioning. The stop of the movement to the left is detected by detecting the LED at the position P7 with the light receiving element S2,
It is also possible to configure so that the LED at the position P5 is detected by the light receiving element S1.

FIG. 35 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point, and the LED is moved to a connector that is not adjacent but distant (n>
This is a specific example of the case 1) in which the connector is moved rightward, the target position of movement is a connector having a different pitch, and the left side of the connector is widely open. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P6, and the movement target position is P9 (). The deceleration start point is P8, but this LED has failed and is not lit. Then, the moving side connector becomes P6
, The vehicle moves to the right at high speed, moves past the deceleration start point P8, moves to the position of the right overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the deceleration start point P8 has failed. For accurate positioning, it is necessary to adjust the position by moving to the right. Therefore, the position is first moved to the left from the movement target position, and then moved to the right again to perform positioning. In order to move to the left from the movement target position, the left LED of the movement target position is turned on.
However, since P8 on the left of the movement target position P9 is a faulty LED, the LED on P7 next to it is turned on. After the LED of P7 is turned on, high-speed movement to the left is started, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position of P7 and temporarily stops (). At this time, because of the high-speed movement, the vehicle stops at a position a little too far from the position of P7. Then, the LED at P9, which is the movement target position, is turned on, the LED moves at low speed to the right, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position P9 to perform positioning (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG. The above-mentioned process of moving once to the left and then moving to the right to perform positioning is as follows.
The LED at P9, which is the movement target position, is turned on to move to the left at a high speed, and the LED at P9 is moved using the light receiving element M.
Is detected, P9 is stopped once at a position where it has gone too far, and then moved to the right again to control to perform accurate positioning. The stop of the movement to the left may be configured such that the LED at the position P9 is detected by the light receiving element S2, and the LED at the position P7 is detected by the light receiving element S1.

FIG. 36 shows that the failed LED is the deceleration start point, and the LED is moved to a connector that is not adjacent but is distant (n>
1) is a specific example in which the connector is moved rightward, the target position of the movement is a connector having a different pitch, and the right side of the connector is widely open. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P5, and the movement target position is P8 (). The deceleration start point is P7, but this LED has failed and is not lit. Then, the moving side connector becomes P5
The high-speed movement starts from right to right, moves past the deceleration start point P7, moves to the position of the right overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the deceleration start point P7 has failed. For accurate positioning, it is necessary to adjust the position by moving to the right. Therefore, the position is first moved to the left from the movement target position, and then moved to the right again to perform positioning. In order to move to the left from the movement target position, the left LED of the movement target position is turned on.
However, since P7 on the left of the movement target position P8 is a failed LED, the LED on P6 next to that LED is turned on. After the LED of P6 is turned on, high-speed movement to the left is started, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position of P6 and temporarily stops (). At this time, because of the high-speed movement, the vehicle stops at a position a little over the position of P6. Then, the LED at P8, which is the movement target position, is turned on, the LED is moved to the right at a low speed, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at P8 to perform positioning (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG. The above-mentioned process of moving once to the left and then moving to the right to perform positioning is as follows.
The LED at P8, which is the movement target position, is turned on to move to the left at a high speed, and the light-receiving element M is used to light the LED at P8.
Is detected, P8 is stopped once at a position where it has gone too far, and then moved to the right again to control to perform accurate positioning. The stop of the movement to the left may be configured such that the LED at the position P8 is detected by the light receiving element S2, and the LED at the position P6 is detected by the light receiving element S1.

FIG. 37 shows a concrete example in which the failed LED is the movement target position, the movement to the connector at the adjacent position (n = 1), the movement to the left, and the movement target position at the left end. It is an example. In this case, the currently stopped position is P
2 (). The deceleration start point is P2, and the LE of P2
After confirming that D is lit, start moving at low speed to the left. At the start of the movement, the LED at the movement target position P1 is to be turned on, but this LED has failed and is not turned on. Then, the moving-side connector passes through the movement target position P1, moves to the position of the left overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P1 has failed. Moving target position P
1 for positioning the light receiving element M at
Positioning is performed using the LED of P2 on the right side of and the light receiving element S2. That is, P2 on the right of the movement target position P1
LED is turned on, the movable connector is moved rightward from the position of the overrun limit switch, and the light receiving element S2 detects the LED at the position P2 to perform positioning ().

FIG. 38 shows that the failed LED is the movement target position, the movement to the connector at the adjacent position (n = 1), and the movement to the left indicates that the movement target position is the same pitch of the connector. This is a specific example of the case. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P7, and the movement target position is P6 (). The deceleration start point is P7, and after confirming that the LED of P7 is lit, low-speed movement to the left is started. At the start of the movement, the LED at the movement target position P6 is turned on, but this LED has failed and is not turned on. Then
The moving-side connector passes the movement target position P6, moves to the position of the left overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this time, the LED of the movement target position P6
Detects that has failed. In order to position the light receiving element M at the movement target position P6, first, the movement target position P6
With P5 on the left as the deceleration start point, turn on the LED,
The moving side connector is moved to the right from the position of the overrun limit switch at a high speed, and the LE at the position of P5 is detected by the light receiving element S2.
Detects D and decelerates (). At this time, P
The LED at the position 5 may be detected. After detecting the deceleration start point P5, L of P7 on the right of the movement target position P6
The ED is turned on, the moving side connector is moved to the right at a low speed, and the light receiving element S2 detects the LED at the position P7 to perform positioning (). Positioning after deceleration is the LE of P5
D may be turned on and detected by the light receiving element S1. A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG.

FIG. 39 shows that the failed LED is the movement target position, the movement to the connector at the adjacent position (n = 1), and the movement in the left direction means that the movement target position is a connector with a different pitch. This is a specific example in the case where the left side of the connector is widely open. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P6, and the movement target position is P5 (). The deceleration start point is P6. Check the lighting of the LED of P6,
Start moving slowly to the left. At the start of the movement, the LED at the movement target position P5 is turned on.
D has failed and is not lit. Then, the moving-side connector passes the movement target position P5, moves to the position of the left overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P5 has failed. The light receiving element M is located at the movement target position P5.
First, the LED is turned on with P4 left of the movement target position P5 as the deceleration start point, and the moving connector is moved rightward from the position of the overrun limit switch at a high speed. LED is detected, and the speed is reduced (). At this time, the LED at the position P4 may be detected by the light receiving element M. Deceleration start point P4
Is detected, the LED of P6 on the right of the movement target position P5 is turned on, the moving connector is moved to the right at a low speed, and the light receiving element S
In step 2, the LED at the position P6 is detected to perform positioning (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG.

FIG. 40 shows that the failed LED is the movement target position, the movement to the connector at the adjacent position (n = 1), and the movement to the left indicates that the movement target position is a connector with a different pitch. This is a specific example in which the right side of the connector is widely vacant. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P5, and the movement target position is P4 (). The deceleration start point is P5. Check the lighting of the LED of P5,
Start moving slowly to the left. At the start of the movement, the LED of the movement target position P4 is turned on.
D has failed and is not lit. Then, the moving-side connector passes the movement target position P4, moves to the position of the left overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P4 has failed. The light receiving element M is located at the movement target position P4.
First, the LED is turned on with P3 left of the movement target position P4 as the deceleration start point, the moving connector is moved to the right from the position of the overrun limit switch at high speed, and the position of P3 is set by the light receiving element M. LED is detected, and the speed is reduced (). After detecting the deceleration start point P3, the LED of P3 on the left of the movement target position P4 is turned on, the moving side connector is moved to the right at a low speed, and the light receiving element S1 moves the L of the position of P3.
ED is detected and positioning is performed (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG.

FIG. 41 shows a case where the failed LED is the movement target position, movement to the connector at the adjacent position (n = 1), and movement to the right, where the movement target position is the rightmost connector. Is a specific example. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P11 (). The deceleration start point is P1
It is 1 and the low-speed movement to the right is started after confirming the lighting of the LED of P11. With the start of the movement, the movement target position P
Attempting to turn on 12 LEDs, but this LED has failed and is not turned on. Then, the moving-side connector passes through the movement target position P12, moves to the position of the right overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P12 has failed. In order to accurately position the light receiving element M at the movement target position P12, the light receiving element M is once moved to the left of the movement target position, and then moved to the right to perform positioning. Therefore, first, the LED of P11 on the left of the movement target position P12
Is turned on, and the moving side connector is moved to the left from the position of the overrun limit switch at a low speed.
The LED at the position is detected and the operation is temporarily stopped (). After the suspension, the LED of P11 on the left is turned on to move the light receiving element M to the movement target position P12.
ED is detected and positioning is performed ().

FIG. 42 shows that the failed LED is the movement target position, the movement to the connector at the adjacent position (n = 1), and the movement to the right causes the movement target position of the connector having the same pitch. This is a specific example of the case. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P6, and the movement target position is P7 (). The deceleration start point is P6, and after confirming that the LED of P6 is lit, low-speed movement to the right is started. At the start of the movement, the LED at the movement target position P7 is turned on, but this LED has failed and is not turned on. Then
The moving-side connector passes the movement target position P7, moves to the position of the right overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this time, the LED of the movement target position P7
Detects that has failed. In order to accurately position the light receiving element M at the movement target position P7, the light receiving element M is once moved to the left of the movement target position, and then moved to the right to perform positioning. Therefore, first, P6 on the left of the movement target position P7
LED is turned on and the moving side connector is moved to the left from the position of the overrun limit switch at a high speed.
In step 1, the LED at the position P6 is detected and the speed is reduced (), the light receiving element is switched to the light receiving element M, and the LED at the position P6 is detected and temporarily stopped (). After the temporary stop, the moving side connector is moved to the right at a low speed while the LED on the left P6 is turned on to detect the LED at the position of P6 with the light receiving element S1 in order to align the light receiving element M with the movement target position P7. To perform positioning (). At this time, it is also possible to turn on the LED at the position P8, detect the light by the light receiving element S2, and perform positioning. A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG. When moving to the left from the position of the overrun limit switch and temporarily stopping,
Instead of decelerating, the light receiving element S1 may detect the LED at the position of P6, temporarily stop when the light receiving element S1 has passed the position of P6, and move to the right at a low speed to perform positioning. .

FIG. 43 shows that the failed LED is the movement target position, the movement to the connector at the adjacent position (n = 1), and the movement to the right causes the movement target position to be a connector with a different pitch. This is a specific example in the case where the left side of the connector is widely open. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P8, and the movement target position is P9 (). The deceleration start point is P8. Check the lighting of the LED of P8,
Start moving slowly to the right. At the start of the movement, the LED at the movement target position P9 is turned on.
D has failed and is not lit. Then, the moving-side connector passes the movement target position P9, moves to the position of the right overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P9 has failed. The light receiving element M is located at the movement target position P9.
Is moved once to the left of the movement target position, and then moved to the right to perform positioning. Therefore, first, the LE of P10 on the right of the movement target position P9
D is lit, and the moving side connector is moved to the left from the position of the overrun limit switch at a high speed.
The LED at position 0 is detected and the speed is reduced (). At this time, the LED at the position P10 may be detected using the light receiving element S2. After the deceleration, the temporary stop position is set to P8, the LED at the position of P8 is turned on, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position of P8 and pauses.
At this time, the LED at the position P8 may be detected using the light receiving element S1. After the suspension, the LED of P10 on the right side is turned on in order to align the light receiving element M with the movement target position P9, and the moving side connector is moved to the right at a low speed.
The positioning is performed by detecting the LED at the position P10 by the light receiving element S2 (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG. When moving to the left from the position of the overrun limit switch and temporarily stopping, the LED at the position of P10 is detected by the light receiving element S2 without deceleration, and the light receiving element S2 is temporarily moved past the position of P10. It may be configured to stop and move to the right at low speed for positioning.

FIG. 44 shows that the failed LED is the movement target position, the movement to the connector at the adjacent position (n = 1), and the movement in the right direction means that the movement target position is a connector with a different pitch. This is a specific example in which the right side of the connector is widely vacant. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P7, and the movement target position is P8 (). The deceleration start point is P7. Check the lighting of the LED of P7,
Start moving slowly to the right. At the start of the movement, the LED at the movement target position P8 is turned on.
D has failed and is not lit. Then, the moving-side connector passes through the movement target position P8, moves to the position of the right overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P8 has failed. The light receiving element M is located at the movement target position P8.
Is moved once to the left of the movement target position, and then moved to the right to perform positioning. Therefore, first, the LED of P9 on the right of the movement target position P8
Is turned on, the moving side connector is moved to the left from the position of the overrun limit switch at a high speed, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position P9 to decelerate (). At this time, the LED at the position P9 may be detected by using the light receiving element S2, or P7 may be turned on and detected by the light receiving element S1 to decelerate. After deceleration, set the pause position to P
As 7, the LED at the position P7 is turned on, and the light receiving element M
Detects the LED at the position P7, and temporarily stops (). After the temporary stop, in order to align the light receiving element M with the movement target position P8, while the LED of P7 is turned on, the light receiving element is switched to S1, the moving side connector is moved to the right at a low speed, and the position of P7 is shifted by the light receiving element S1. The positioning is performed by detecting the LED (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG. When moving from the position of the overrun limit switch to the left and temporarily stopping, without deceleration, the LED at the position of P7 is detected by the light receiving element S1 and the light receiving element S1 is temporarily stopped when the light receiving element S1 has passed the position of P7. Alternatively, the positioning may be performed by moving to the right at a low speed.

FIG. 45 shows that the failed LED is the target position for movement, and the failed LED is moved to a connector located at a distant position without being adjacent (n).
> 1), and is a specific example in the case where the movement is in the left direction and the movement target position is the left end. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P4 (). The deceleration start point P2 is illuminated, the moving connector starts moving at high speed to the left from P4, and the LED at the deceleration start point P2 is detected to decelerate (). With the start of deceleration, the LE of the movement target position P1
D is to be turned on, but this LED has failed and is not turned on. Then, the moving-side connector passes through the movement target position P1, moves to the position of the left overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P1 has failed.
In order to position the light receiving element M at the movement target position P1, the LED at P2 on the right of the movement target position P1 is turned on. Moving target position P from the position of the overrun limit switch
Since the moving distance is small up to 1, the deceleration start point is not detected, the moving connector is moved to the left from the position of the overrun limit switch at a low speed, and the light receiving element S2 detects the LED at the position of P2 to position. (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG.

FIG. 46 shows that the failed LED is the movement target position, and the failed LED is moved to a connector located at a distant position (n
> 1), which is a specific example in the case of the leftward movement among the connectors of the same pitch, that is, P2 when the movement is performed in the left direction. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P6 (). First, the deceleration start point P3 is turned on, and the moving side connector starts moving leftward at a high speed from P6, and detects the LED at the deceleration start point P3 to decelerate (). At the start of the deceleration, the LED at the movement target position P2 is turned on, but this LED has failed and is not turned on. Then, the moving-side connector passes the movement target position P2, moves to the position of the left overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P2 has failed. In order to position the light receiving element M at the movement target position P2, the LED at P3 on the right of the movement target position P2 is turned on. The position of the overrun limit switch and the movement target position P2 are areas that are not so far apart and move at a low speed. Therefore, without detecting the deceleration start point,
A movement process to the movement target position is performed. That is, the movable connector is moved to the left from the position of the overrun limit switch at a low speed, and the light receiving element S2 detects the LED at the position P3 to perform positioning (). At this time, the LED at the position of P1 is turned on, and the position can be detected by the light receiving element S1. A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG.

FIG. 47 shows that the failed LED is the target movement position, and the failed LED is moved to the remote connector (n
> 1), which is a specific example of a case where the movement in the left direction is a connector other than the leftmost connector described in FIG. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P9, and the movement target position is P6 (). First, the deceleration start point P7 is turned on, and the moving-side connector starts moving at high speed to the left from P9, and detects the LED at the deceleration start point P7 to decelerate (). With the start of deceleration, the LE of the movement target position P6
D is to be turned on, but this LED has failed and is not turned on. Then, the moving-side connector passes through the movement target position P6, moves to the position of the left overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this time, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P6 has failed.
In order to position the light receiving element M at the movement target position P6, first, the LED at P5 on the left of the movement target position P6 is turned on as a deceleration start point, and the moving connector is moved at high speed from the position of the overrun limit switch to the right. , Light receiving element S2
To detect the LED at the position P5 and decelerate (). At this time, the LED at the position P5 may be detected by the light receiving element M. After the start of deceleration, the LED at the position P7 on the right of the movement target position P6 is turned on, and the LED at the position P7 is detected by the light receiving element S2 to perform positioning (). For the positioning after deceleration, the light receiving element may be switched to S1 while the LED of P5 is turned on, and the LED of P5 may be detected by the light receiving element S1. A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG.

FIG. 48 shows that the failed LED is the target movement position, and the failed LED is moved to the connector located at a distant position without being adjacent (n).
> 1), which is a specific example in which the connector is moved to the left, the target position of movement is a connector of a different pitch, and the left side of the connector is widely open. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P7, and the movement target position is P5 (). First, the deceleration start point P6 is turned on, and the moving-side connector starts moving leftward from P7 at a high speed.
LED is detected, and the speed is reduced (). At the start of deceleration, the LED at the movement target position P5 is to be turned on, but this LED has failed and is not turned on. Then, the moving-side connector passes the movement target position P5, moves to the position of the left overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P5 has failed. In order to position the light receiving element M at the movement target position P5, first, the LED of P4 on the left of the movement target position P5 is turned on as a deceleration start point, and the moving connector is moved at high speed from the position of the overrun limit switch to the right. Then, the light receiving element S2 detects the LED at the position P4 and decelerates (). At this time, the LED at the position P4 may be detected by the light receiving element M. After the start of deceleration, the LED at the position of P6 on the right of the movement target position P5
Is turned on, and the LED at the position P6 is detected by the light receiving element S2 to perform positioning (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG.

FIG. 49 shows that the failed LED is the target position for movement, and the failed LED is moved to a connector located at a distant position (n
> 1), which is a specific example of a case in which the connector is moved leftward, the target position of movement is a connector having a different pitch, and the right side of the connector is widely open. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P7, and the movement target position is P4 (). First, the deceleration start point P5 is lit, and the moving side connector starts moving leftward from P7 at a high speed.
LED is detected, and the speed is reduced (). At the start of deceleration, the LED at the movement target position P4 is turned on, but this LED has failed and is not turned on. Then, the moving-side connector passes the movement target position P4, moves to the position of the left overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P4 has failed. In order to position the light receiving element M at the movement target position P4, first, an LED at P3 on the left of the movement target position P4 is turned on as a deceleration start point, and the moving connector is moved at high speed from the position of the overrun limit switch to the right. Then, the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position P3 and decelerates (). After the start of deceleration, the light receiving element is switched from M to S1, and the LE at the position P3 is set by the light receiving element S1.
Positioning is performed by detecting D (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG.

FIG. 50 shows that the failed LED is the target movement position, and the failed LED is moved to a connector located at a distant position without being adjacent (n).
> 1), and is a specific example in the case of rightward movement, where the movement target position is the rightmost connector. In this specific example,
The currently stopped position is P8 (). First, the deceleration start point P11 is turned on, the moving-side connector starts moving rightward from P8 at a high speed, and detects the LED at the deceleration start point P11 to decelerate (). At the start of deceleration, the LED at the movement target position P12 is turned on.
Is broken and not lit. Then, the moving-side connector passes through the movement target position P12, moves to the position of the right overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P12 has failed. In order to accurately position the light receiving element M at the movement target position P12, the light receiving element M is once moved to the left of the movement target position, and then moved to the right to perform positioning. Therefore, first, P1 on the left of the movement target position P12
The LED of No. 1 is turned on, the movable connector is moved to the left from the position of the overrun limit switch, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position P11 and temporarily stops ().
After the pause, the light receiving element is switched from M to S1, the moving side connector is moved to the right at a low speed, and P11
Positioning is performed by detecting the LED at the position (2). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG.

FIG. 51 shows that the failed LED is the target position for movement, and the failed LED is moved to a connector located at a distant position (n
> 1), which is a specific example in the case of a connector moving at a right pitch and having a target movement position of an equal pitch. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P4, and the movement target position is P7 (). First, the deceleration start point P6 is lit,
The moving side connector starts moving at high speed from P4 to the right, and detects the LED at the deceleration start point P6 to decelerate (). At the start of the deceleration, the LED at the movement target position P7 is turned on, but this LED has failed and is not turned on. Then, the moving-side connector passes through the movement target position P7, moves to the position of the right overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P7 has failed. Moving target position P
In order to accurately position the light receiving element M at 7, the light receiving element M is once moved to the left of the movement target position and then moved to the right to perform positioning. Therefore, first, the LED at P8 on the right of the movement target position P7 is turned on, the moving connector is moved to the left from the position of the overrun limit switch at high speed, and the light receiving element S2 detects the LED at the position of P8 to decelerate. Yes (). At this time, the LED of P6 is turned on, and the light receiving element S
Alternatively, the speed may be detected at 1 and decelerated. After the deceleration, the LED at P6 on the left of the movement target position P7 is turned on, and the light receiving element S2 detects the LED at the position of P6 and temporarily stops (). At this time, the light receiving element M may detect the LED at the position P6. After the pause, the LED at P8 on the right of the movement target position P7 is turned on again, the moving connector is moved to the right at a low speed, and the light-receiving element S2 detects the LED at P8 to perform positioning (). At this time,
The light receiving element 6 may be turned on, and the light receiving element S1 may perform detection and positioning. A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG. When moving to the left from the position of the overrun limit switch at high speed, P6,
Alternatively, the LED at the position P8 is connected to the light receiving element S1 or S2.
, It is also possible to perform the positioning by temporarily stopping at an excessive position and returning to the right at a low speed.

FIG. 52 shows that the failed LED is the target position for movement, and the failed LED is moved to a connector located at a distant position (n
> 1), which is a specific example of a case where the rightward movement is performed and the movement target position is a connector having a different pitch, and the left side of the connector is widely open. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P6, and the movement target position is P9 (). First, the deceleration start point P8 is turned on, and the moving-side connector starts moving rightward from P6 at a high speed.
LED is detected, and the speed is reduced (). At the start of the deceleration, the LED at the movement target position P9 is turned on, but this LED has failed and is not turned on. Then, the moving-side connector passes the movement target position P9, moves to the position of the right overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P9 has failed. In order to accurately position the light receiving element M at the movement target position P9, the light receiving element M is once moved to the left of the movement target position and then moved to the right to perform positioning. Therefore, first, P10 on the right of the movement target position P9
LED is turned on and the moving side connector is moved to the left from the position of the overrun limit switch at a high speed.
In step 2, the LED at the position P10 is detected to decelerate ().
At this time, the LED at the position P8 is turned on, and the light receiving element S
1, the detection may be performed. After the deceleration, the LED at P8 on the left side of the movement target position P9 is turned on, and the light receiving element S2 detects the LED at the position of P8 and temporarily stops (). At this time, the LED at the position P8 may be detected by the light receiving element M. After the pause, the LED of P10 on the right of the movement target position P9 is turned on again, the moving side connector is moved to the right at a low speed, and the light receiving element S2 detects the LED at the position of P10 to perform positioning (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG. When the LED is moved to the left from the position of the overrun limit switch, the LED at the position of P8 or P10 is detected by the light receiving element S1 or S2. It is also possible to perform positioning by detecting the light receiving element S2 by turning on the LED and returning to the right at a low speed.

FIG. 53 shows that the failed LED is the movement target position, and the failed LED is moved to a connector located at a distant position (n
> 1), which is a specific example of a case where the rightward movement of the connector is a connector of a different pitch due to the rightward movement and the right side of the connector is widely open. In this specific example, the currently stopped position is P5, and the movement target position is P8 (). First, the deceleration start point P7 is turned on, and the moving-side connector starts moving rightward from P5 at a high speed.
LED is detected, and the speed is reduced (). At the start of the deceleration, the LED at the movement target position P8 is turned on, but this LED has failed and is not turned on. Then, the moving-side connector passes through the movement target position P8, moves to the position of the right overrun limit switch, and stops (). At this point, it is detected that the LED at the movement target position P8 has failed. In order to accurately position the light receiving element M at the movement target position P8, the light receiving element M is once moved to the left of the movement target position, and then moved to the right to perform positioning. Therefore, first, the LED at P9 on the right of the target movement position P8 is turned on, the moving connector is moved to the left from the position of the overrun limit switch at a high speed, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position of P9 to decelerate. Yes (). At this time, the LED at the position P9 may be detected by the light receiving element S2, or the LED at the position P7 may be turned on to perform detection by the light receiving element S1 and decelerate.
After the deceleration, the LED at P7 on the left of the movement target position P8 is turned on, and the light receiving element M detects the LED at the position of P7 and temporarily stops (). After the pause, the light receiving element is switched to S1, the moving side connector is moved to the right at a low speed, and the LED at the position P7 is detected by the light receiving element S1 to perform positioning (). A transition graph of the movement speed in such movement control is shown in FIG. When moving from the position of the overrun limit switch to the left, the LED at the position of P7 is detected by the light receiving element S1, and without deceleration, it pauses at a position where it has gone too far, and returns to the right at a low speed. Can also be performed.

The specific example of the fail-safe control of the optical line switching device has been described above. In the above specific example, various conditions are given. However, it is of course possible to configure by deleting these conditions as appropriate or to add other conditions. Also, in the above description, as an example of detecting a failure during stoppage, movement to an adjacent connector
Although the deceleration start point has been described, if the connectors are adjacent and are in the same adapter, the deceleration start point during stop and the LED of the movement target position are checked using the left and right light receiving elements S1 and S2. Can be performed. Further, in the above description, three light receiving elements are described, but it is of course possible to use more light receiving elements.

[0078]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the selection of the light emitting portion corresponding to the connector to be coupled on the fixed connector side, the selection of the light receiving portion, or the switching of the light-shielding light transmission. By forming the light-transmitting portion by the means, it is possible to indicate the position where the moving-side connector should be positioned, and to position the light-receiving portion or the light-emitting portion provided on the moving-side connector side or the position where it should be stopped by the photo interrupter. Positioning can be performed without storing the position of the fixed connector.

Further, even when at least one of the plurality of position specifying means, for example, the deceleration start point or the movement target position position specifying means breaks down, the position can be determined by using the surrounding position specifying means. The operation rate of the switching device can be improved, and efficient operation of the optical fiber network can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a first embodiment of an optical line switching device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fixed connector used in the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a position detection unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a relationship between a fixed connector and a position detecting unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic circuit diagram of an example of a control block of the motor of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a movable head used in the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing one normal operation example of the first embodiment of the optical line switching device of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing another operation example of the first embodiment of the optical line switching device of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a main part of a second embodiment of the optical line switching device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a normal operation according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing another example of the normal operation of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a main part of a third embodiment of the optical line switching device according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a normal operation according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing another example of the normal operation of the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a basic configuration of the optical connector coupling device.

FIG. 16 is a schematic configuration diagram of a system including a general optical line switching device.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of an LED failure detection method in the optical line switching device of the present invention.

FIG. 18 ~

FIG. 19 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a processing method at the time of LED failure in the optical line switching device of the present invention.

FIG. 20 ~

FIG. 53 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of a method of processing an LED failure in the optical line switching device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 X-axis board 2 Y-axis board 3 X-axis LED array 4 X-axis light receiving unit 5 X-axis guide 6 rack gear 7 X-axis motor 8 Y-axis LED array 9 Y-axis light receiving unit 10 Y-axis motor 11 Y Axis drive means 12 Base plate 13 Fixed connector 12 Base plate 14 Adapter 15 Slit 16 Light receiving element 17, 18 Overrun limit switch

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Naoshi Hakamada 1-chome, Taya-cho, Sakae-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (72) Inventor Shunichi Mizuno 1, 1-Taya-cho, Sakae-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Sumitomo Electric Industries Inside Yokohama Works Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kimiyuki Sato 1-6-1, Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Hirotsugu Matsumoto 1-1-6 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Telephone Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuhiko Arimoto 7-31, Omorinishi 7-chome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Sumiden Opcom Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-4-199011 (JP, A) JP-A-4 -199010 (JP, A) JP-A-4-118606 (JP, A) JP-A-2-114215 (JP, A) Fully open sho 55-147004 (JP, U) (58) The field (Int.Cl. ^7, DB name) G02B 26/00 - 26/08

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An optical line switching device for selecting a connector to be coupled from a fixed-side connector, coupling a movable-side connector, and switching an optical line, wherein the optical-line switching device is arranged along the arrangement of the connectors on the fixed-side connector side. A plurality of position designation means;
A plurality of position detection means provided on the moving connector side, wherein when at least one of the plurality of position specification means fails, the position specification means near the failed position specification means and the plurality of position detection means An optical line switching device for positioning a fixed connector and a movable connector.