JPH0651218A - Optical switch and drive mechanism therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a drive mechanism for a optical switch and optical fibers, which is itself miniaturized and whose operations are facilitated. CONSTITUTION:A plurality of horizontal guide grooves 14 are formed in parallel in a fiber array 12 disposed on one side, and optical fibers 17 are mounted in the respective guide grooves 14 with their end faces being coplanar with one another, and a plurality of upper and lower sliders 23 each of which is allowed free motion in the direction of alignment of the optical fibers 17 by a drive motor 25 are disposed on the other side, and optical fibers 29 are attached to the respective sliders 23 while in parallel to the optical fibers 17; the optical fibers 29 are supported while the progressive waves of piezoelectric ceramics 33, 34 allow the end faces of the optical fibers 29 to freely approach and separate from those of the optical fibers 17.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical switch for switching connections of optical fibers and a drive mechanism for the optical fibers, and an operation for switching core wires at optical fiber connection points in an optical fiber wiring network or the like. It is effective when used for performing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In optical fiber communications, the introduction into the trunk line system has been conventionally promoted, but now various studies are being conducted aiming at the introduction into the wiring system. Unlike the conventional point-to-point relay transmission, it is necessary to construct a network with good serviceability and efficiency for users who are distributed in a plane. Further, for such a wiring network configuration, an optical cross-connect device and an optical switch that switch paths and lines as optical signals are important.

However, these optical cross-connect devices and the like are, so to speak, large-scale optical switches, and various studies are currently being made, but it is difficult to realize a small-sized multi-input / multi-output optical switch. In addition, various problems occur when trying to realize a large-scale optical switch. That is, when the number of connections increases when the optical fibers are connected, the optical fibers become congested and the workability of the connection is extremely reduced, or the connection may be incorrect, and the connection point may be connected to another terminal. Congestion of a large number of optical fibers becomes a serious problem if any switching is attempted.

As a conventional optical switch, a 1 (single) × N (plurality) type optical switch is applied. This 1 × N type optical switch has a single-core connector arranged on one side and an N side. N single-core connectors are arranged on the same plane, and the single-sided connector on one side is conveyed by the connection switching mechanism to an arbitrary N
It is to be connected to the connector on the side. Also, N (plural)
× M (plurality) type optical switches are also applied.
The M-type optical switch is provided with a plurality of guide rails arranged in a direction orthogonal to each other so as to face each other, and an optical fiber is attached to each movable slide terminal, and the slide terminals are connected and switched. The optical fibers are connected to each other by moving the optical fibers. Incidentally, such an optical fiber connection switching device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-287212.

When optical fibers are connected to each other, their end faces are butted against each other. At this time, a driving mechanism for moving the optical fibers in the longitudinal direction is used. As a conventional optical fiber driving mechanism, it is known that a pair of driving rollers are arranged on both sides of the optical fiber so as to hold the optical fiber, and the optical fiber is moved by rotating the driving roller. This drive mechanism is used as an optical fiber butting means.

[0006]

Each of the above-mentioned conventional optical switches may be sufficiently adapted within certain specific use conditions and restrictions, but in the future, a large amount of optical subscriber wiring networks will be used. Various problems arise when handling optical fibers. That is, when a large number of optical fibers are switched, it is essential that the optical switch itself be downsized and integrated, or that the operation be easy.

For example, in the conventional 1 × N type optical switch, in order to realize the N × M type optical switch function, at least M 1 × N type optical switches are required, and the arrangement space is large. Therefore, it is difficult to reduce the size of the device. In addition, in the conventional N × M type optical switch,
Although it is possible to reduce the size of the switch as compared with the × N type optical switch, a connection switching mechanism for moving the N-side and M-side slide terminals along the guide rails is required. Then, in the case where the constraint that a plurality of slide terminals must be able to be switched at the same time is added, only the number of slide terminals, that is, N + M connection switching mechanisms are required,
From this point, it becomes difficult to miniaturize the optical switch.

On the other hand, in the conventional optical fiber driving mechanism, the optical fiber is moved only by rotating a pair of driving rollers that hold the optical fiber, so that the structure is simple and relatively easy to realize. Although possible, there are many problems in terms of miniaturization as with the above-mentioned optical switch. For example, when a conventional optical fiber drive mechanism is applied as a means for abutting optical fibers in the above-described optical switch, one drive mechanism must be installed for each optical fiber on the N side or the M side. However, downsizing becomes difficult. Further, this drive mechanism requires a pair of drive rollers and a drive motor for rotating the rollers, which leads to an increase in size.

The present invention solves such a problem, and provides an optical switch and an optical fiber driving mechanism which are downsized and have a simple structure, and are easy to operate. With the goal.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To achieve the above object, an optical switch according to the present invention has a plurality of guide grooves formed in parallel with each other in a horizontal direction on a support member arranged on one side. While the optical fibers are respectively mounted so that their tip surfaces are located on the same plane, a plurality of movable members, which are movable in the arrangement direction of the optical fibers on the one side by driving means, are arranged on the other side, respectively. An optical fiber is attached to each of the moving members so as to be parallel to the one side optical fiber, and the tip side of the other side optical fiber is set to the tip side of the one side optical fiber by connection switching means. It is characterized in that it is supported so that it can approach and separate freely.

The optical fiber driving mechanism of the present invention is
In a drive mechanism for moving the optical fiber in its longitudinal direction, a vibrator is held in contact with the optical fiber, and the optical fiber is movably supported by a traveling wave generated by the vibrator.

Further, the optical fiber driving mechanism of the present invention comprises:
A plurality of optical fibers on one side are mounted on a supporting member, while optical fibers on the other side are mounted on a moving member, and the moving member is connected by switching means so that the tip end surface of the optical fiber on the other side is a light beam on the one side. In an optical switch which can be moved toward and away from the tip end surface of a fiber, the moving member is movably supported by a guide rail along the moving direction, and an oscillator is brought into contact with and held by an end portion of the guide rail. The moving member can be moved by generating a traveling wave on the guide rail by a vibrator.

[0013]

When the optical fibers are switched, the moving member is moved in the horizontal direction by the driving means so that the optical fibers on the other side correspond to the optical fibers on the one side mounted in the guide groove of the supporting member. When the tip end surface of the optical fiber on the other side is brought closer to the tip surface of the optical fiber on the one side by the connection switching means, the opposing end surfaces are brought close to each other and connected. This optical fiber connection operation is performed by moving the other optical fiber in the longitudinal direction, moving the support member up and down, or moving the optical fiber up and down.

When the optical fiber is moved in its longitudinal direction, the optical fiber is moved by a traveling wave generated by a vibrator such as piezoelectric ceramics. Further, when the moving member having the optical fiber attached thereto is moved along the guide rail, the moving member is moved by generating a traveling wave on the guide rail by the vibrator.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an optical switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a slider drive mechanism, FIG. 3 is a front view of an optical fiber connection switching portion, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA, and FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a drive mechanism of the optical fiber.

The optical switch of this embodiment is a 10 (plural) × 100 (plural) matrix optical switch for switching connection of optical fibers, with 10 side being the driving side and 100 side being the plane array side. Is.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in the optical switch of this embodiment, one side (see FIG.
The fiber array 12 as a support member is installed horizontally by the four legs 13. A plurality of (100 in this embodiment) V-shaped guide grooves 14 which are parallel to each other are formed in parallel on the upper surface of the fiber array 12. The guide groove 14 is a groove for positioning an optical fiber. As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the interval L between the plurality of guide grooves 14 is 0.5 mm, and the groove angle α is 90.
The taper portion 15 is formed in the upper part of the groove with a taper angle β of 120 ° to 150 °.

A silicon chip 16 is fixed on the fiber array 12 so as to cover the guide groove 14, and an optical fiber 17 is inserted into each of the guide grooves 14 covered by the silicon chip 16 and fixed by adhesion. The faces are positioned so that they are coplanar. In this case, the positioning accuracy of the tip surface of the optical fiber 17 is ± 10.
It is about μm. The fiber array 12 of the present embodiment
Although the guide groove 14 is formed by grinding processing using a silicon single crystal as a material, photolithography processing (for example, anisotropic etching) may be used.

On the other side (left side in FIG. 1) of the housing 11, a pair of parallel linear guide rails 22 are horizontally arranged by left and right support brackets 21 and a plurality of vertical guide rails 22 (10 in this embodiment) are mounted. ing. The linear guide rails 22 are arranged along the arrangement direction of the optical fibers 17 on one side.
A slider 23 as a moving member is movably attached to the. An endless drive wire 24 is locked on the slider 23, and the drive wire 24 can be driven by a drive motor 25 having a built-in rotary encoder. Therefore, each slider 23 can be independently moved along each linear guide rail 22 by the drive motor 25 and the drive wire 24.

Rearward of the slider 23 (leftward in FIG. 1)
A hollow frame 26 is arranged corresponding to each slider 23 to form an optical fiber extra length storage portion, while an optical fiber guide portion is provided at the front portion (right side in FIG. 1) of each slider 23. The support pipe 27 is attached to the fiber array 12 side while being curved at a predetermined angle. The optical fiber 29 having the connector 28 connected to the rear end thereof
Is accommodated in the frame 26 with a predetermined extra length loosened, supported by the slider 23, and the tip thereof is inserted into the support pipe 27. The support pipes 27 of the sliders 23 arranged above and below are curved at different angles, as shown in detail in FIG. 3, and overlap each other in the left-right direction (the direction orthogonal to the plane of FIG. 3). There is no such thing.

The optical fiber 29 is supported in the slider 23 by connection switching means so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the slider 23 has a support pipe 2
7 is formed with an optical fiber insertion groove 31, which is continuous with the element 7, and a vibrator accommodating portion 32 is formed in the central portion. And
The optical fiber 29 is inserted into the optical fiber insertion groove 31, and piezoelectric ceramics 33 and 34 as oscillators are mounted on both sides of the optical fiber 29 in the oscillator housing 32. , 34 to lead 3
5, 36 are connected so that a two-phase AC voltage can be applied. The one piezoelectric ceramic 33 is held in pressure contact with the optical fiber 29 by the coil spring 37.

Further, this connection switching means has a function of recognizing the position of the optical fiber. The advance / retreat position of the optical fiber 29 directly affects the distance between the end surface of the optical fiber 29 and the end surface of the optical fiber 17 on the fiber array 12, and the switching loss largely depends on the distance between the end surfaces of the optical fibers 17 and 29. The position stop accuracy is ± 10μ
It should be about m. Therefore, in this embodiment,
A marker 38 serving as a detector having different reflectance is attached to the surface of the optical fiber 29, while a photoelectric sensor 39 for detecting the marker 38 is attached to the slider 23.

Therefore, the piezoelectric ceramics 33 and 34 are
A traveling wave can be excited in one direction on the surface by applying a phase alternating voltage, and the frictional force with the optical fiber 29 generated by this traveling wave is used as a driving force, and the traveling wave travels through the optical fiber 29. It can move in the opposite direction. When the photoelectric sensor 39 detects the marker 38, the optical fiber 29 is stopped and the optical fiber 1
The opposing end faces of 7, 29 are positioned at a predetermined interval.
The optical fiber 29 can be moved in the opposite direction to that described above by inverting the phase of the voltage. Further, the frictional force between the piezoelectric ceramics 33 and 34 and the optical fiber 29 increases as the pressing force increases.
In No. 9, the larger the pressing force received, the larger the transmission loss of the optical signal due to the lateral pressure. Therefore, in this embodiment, the hardness of the protective layer on the surface of the optical fiber 29 is set to be soft so that a sufficient driving frictional force can be obtained even with a small pressing force. For example, the surface of the optical fiber 29 is made of nylon resin or the like. The elastic material is used to make the piezoelectric ceramics more susceptible to surface traveling waves.

In the optical fiber 29, the coating is removed from the tip of the optical fiber 29 so that the glass portion is exposed, and the tip of the optical fiber 29 in contact with the guide groove 14 of the fiber array 12 has an emission angle of the guide groove 14. It is bent into a predetermined shape so as to be parallel. The glass portion is exposed at the tip of the optical fiber 29 because the fiber core eccentricity with respect to the glass portion outer diameter reference of the optical fiber is formed more accurately than the fiber coating portion outer diameter reference, As a result, the optical fiber 1 is placed on the guide groove 14.
When 7 and 29 are connected, the misalignment can be reduced and the connection can be made with high accuracy. A protective coating may be applied to protect the exposed glass portion of the tip of the optical fiber 29, but if the coating film thickness is inappropriate, core eccentricity may be induced and connection loss may be deteriorated. Precise coating is required.

In order to perform the connection switching operation of the optical fibers 17 and 29, first, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, first, the optical fiber 29 to be switched is retracted so that the tip end thereof is inside the support pipe 27. Return to. That is, the piezoelectric ceramics 33, 34
By applying a two-phase AC voltage to the surface of the optical fiber to excite a traveling wave on its surface, the frictional force with the optical fiber 29 generated at this time is used as a driving force, and the optical fiber 29 is moved to the left by a predetermined amount in FIG. To do. With the optical fiber 29 being drawn into the support pipe 27, the optical fiber 29 is then moved to correspond to the position of the optical fiber 17 to be connected. That is, the drive motor 25 is driven, the slider 23 is moved along the linear guide rail 22 via the drive wire 24, and stopped at a predetermined position.

When the positioning of the slider 23 is stopped, a two-phase AC voltage is applied to the piezoelectric ceramics 33 and 34 in a phase opposite to that described above to excite the traveling wave so that the optical fiber 29 is moved to the right in FIG. Move a predetermined amount in the direction. The optical fiber 29 has its tip protruding from the support pipe 27 and is brought into contact with the corresponding guide groove 14 to be guided. The end face of the optical fiber 29 is brought into contact with or slightly separated from the end face of the optical fiber 17 to be connected and stopped. In this way, the connection switching operation between the optical fibers 17 and 29 is completed, and the desired optical fibers 17 and 29 are connected to each other.

In the optical switch of this embodiment, not only the connection switching operation of the optical fiber can be easily performed, but also a non-blocking complete matrix switch can be realized. That is, among the plurality of optical fibers 29, only the one that performs the connection switching operation is
It can be switched at any time without changing the connection state of. The optical fibers 29 drawn out from the respective support pipes 27 are adjacent to each other and overlap each other in the left-right direction, but the respective support pipes 27 supporting the optical fibers 29 are vertically displaced at different angles so as not to interfere with each other. It is curved. Therefore, the optical fiber 29 for performing the connection switching operation
If the slider is pulled into the support pipe 27, the slider 2
The support pipe 27 and the optical fiber 29 do not interfere with each other even when the device 3 is moved.

FIG. 6 shows a front view of an optical fiber connection switching section showing an optical switch according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The members having the same functions as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the duplicated description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the optical switch of this embodiment, the fiber array 12 is arranged on one side (right side in FIG. 6) in the housing, and the solenoid 41 is provided.
Is supported by the spring 42 so as to be able to move up and down, and is urged downward by a spring 42. A plurality of V-shaped guide grooves 14 are formed in parallel on the upper surface of the fiber array 12, and an optical fiber 17 is formed in each of the guide grooves 14.
Are glued and fixed. On the other hand, on the other side (left side in FIG. 6) in the housing, a pair of linear guide rails 2
A plurality of sliders 2 are vertically mounted, and a slider 23 driven by a drive motor is movably mounted. The optical fiber 29 is mounted in the slider 23, and the tip of the optical fiber 29 projects from the support pipe 27 and faces the end surface of the optical fiber 17 on the fiber array 12.

In order to perform the connection switching operation of the optical fibers 17 and 29, first, as shown in FIG. 6, the solenoid 41 is first actuated to lower the fiber array 12, thereby causing the optical fibers 17 and 29 to move. Disconnect from. At this time,
The exposed portion of the optical fiber 29, which is pulled out from the support pipe 27, is substantially linear apart from the guide groove 14 of the fiber array 12, and the tips of adjacent optical fibers 29 are vertically offset by about 0.5 mm so as not to interfere with each other. To be retained. Next, from this state, the slider 23 is moved along the linear guide rail 22 by the drive motor,
Stop it in place. And this time the solenoid 4
1 is operated in the opposite direction to the above to raise the fiber array 12, so that the tip end of the optical fiber 29 comes into contact with the guide groove 14 of the fiber array 12 and is pushed and slightly bent, so that the end face of the optical fiber 17 is the end face. And are connected to each other with a slight contact or a slight separation.

FIG. 7 shows a front view of an optical fiber connection switching section showing an optical switch according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The members having the same functions as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the duplicated description will be omitted.

In the optical switch of this embodiment, a plurality of V-shaped guide grooves are formed in parallel on the upper surface of the fiber array on one side, and the optical fibers are fixedly adhered in the guide grooves. On the other hand, on the other side, as shown in FIG. 7, a pair of parallel linear guide rails 52 and 53 are vertically arranged by the left and right support brackets 51 (in FIG.
(Shown individually) The slider 23 is movably attached along the linear guide rails 52 and 53, and the slider 23 can be driven by the drive wire 24 and the drive motor 25. The optical fiber 29 is mounted in the slider 23, and the tip of the optical fiber 29 projects from the support pipe 27 and faces the end surface of one optical fiber 17. The support pipes 27 are curved at different angles so that they do not interfere with other support pipes when the slider 23 moves.

One of the linear guide rails 52, 53 is rotatably attached to the support bracket 51 while the other linear guide rail 5 is provided.
Both ends of 3 are inserted into arc-shaped guide holes 54 formed in the support bracket 51 and are movable in the guide holes 54. The operation rod 55 is erected along the support bracket 51, and the engagement pin 56 protruding in the middle of the operation rod 55 engages with the end of the linear guide rail 53. The operating rod 55 can be moved in the axial direction by a solenoid (not shown), and the movement causes the linear guide rail 53 to move along the guide hole 54 via the engaging pin 56, so that the slider 23 moves the linear guide rail 52. The support pipe 27 and the optical fiber 29 can be swung up and down by rotating as a fulcrum.

In order to perform the connection switching operation of the optical fiber 29, first, as shown in FIG. 7, the solenoid is first actuated to move the operating rod 55 in the axial direction, whereby the engagement pin 56 and Slider 2 via linear guide rail 53
3 is rotated upwards to support pipe 27 and optical fiber 29.
Raise. Then, the optical fiber 29 is disconnected from the optical fiber on one side. Next, from this state, the slider 23 is moved to the linear guide rails 52,
Move along 53 and stop at a given position. Then, the solenoid is actuated again to move the operation rod 55 in the axial direction, whereby the slider 23 is rotated downward, and the support pipe 27 and the optical fiber 29 are lowered. Then, the tip portion of the optical fiber 29 comes into contact with the guide groove of the fiber array and is pushed and slightly bent, so that the end face is slightly contacted with or slightly separated from the end face of the optical fiber on one side to be connected.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a drive mechanism of an optical fiber representing an optical switch according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. The members having the same functions as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the duplicated description will be omitted.

In the optical switch of this embodiment, a plurality of V-shaped guide grooves are formed in parallel on the upper surface of the fiber array on one side, and the optical fibers are adhesively fixed in the guide grooves. On the other hand, on the other side, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a plurality of plate-shaped linear guide rails 61 are attached vertically (one is shown in the drawing), and piezoelectric ceramics 62, 63 in which each end is laminated. Supported by.
A slider 64 is attached to the linear guide rail 61.
Is fitted from above, and is pressed and held from below by a pressing plate 65 and a pair of plate springs 66, so that the slider 64 is movable along the linear guide rail 61.

The optical fiber 29 is mounted in the slider 64 and movably supported by the piezoelectric ceramics 33 and 34. The tip end of the optical fiber 29 projects from the support pipe 67 and the end face of one optical fiber. Facing each other. The support pipes 67 are curved at different angles so that they do not interfere with other support pipes when the slider 64 moves.

In order to carry out the connection switching operation of the optical fiber 29, first, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, first, a two-phase AC voltage is applied to the piezoelectric ceramics 33 and 34, and a traveling wave is applied to the surface thereof. Is excited to move the optical fiber 29 and draw it into the support pipe 67. In this state, next, when a two-phase AC voltage is applied to the laminated piezoelectric ceramics 62 and 63, a traveling wave is formed on the surface of the linear guide rail 61 due to electrostrictive vibration. The frictional force with the slider 64 generated by this traveling wave is used as a driving force, and the slider 64 can be moved in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the traveling wave. At this time, one piezoelectric ceramics 33 excites the traveling wave, while the other piezoelectric ceramics 34 absorbs the reflected wave. The optical fiber 29 is moved by the movement of the slider 64 and stopped at a predetermined position. Then, the optical fiber 29 is pulled out from the support pipe 67, brought into contact with the corresponding guide groove 14 and connected to one of the optical fibers.

Although the four embodiments have been described above,
The optical switch of the present invention is not limited to these and may have another structure, or may be configured by combining the above-described four embodiments. For example, the first
By combining the embodiment and the third embodiment, the optical fiber 29 is movably supported by the slider 23 by the piezoelectric ceramics 33, 34, and the slider 23 is vertically swingably supported by the linear guide rails 52, 53. Then, when switching the connection of the optical fibers, the slider 23 is moved along the linear guide rails 52 and 53 to change the position while pulling the optical fiber 29 into the support pipe 27 and swinging it slightly upward. After pulling out 29 from the support pipe 27, it descends and is connected to the optical fiber 17 on one side.

Therefore, interference with the other optical fibers of the optical fiber 29 during the movement of the slider 23 is prevented more reliably, and the optical fiber 29 is pulled out from the support pipe 27 and approaches the optical fiber 17 on one side. At this time, it is possible to prevent a slight damage due to the contact between the tip portion of the optical fiber 29 and the guide groove 14 of the fiber array 12.

In each of the above-described embodiments, a pair of linear guide rails are used to move the slider, but this is to prevent the slider from swinging during movement, and to prevent rotation. In addition, the linear guide rail may be configured with one linear guide rail by forming a guide groove or a protrusion on the linear guide rail. In addition, a pair of piezoelectric ceramics were mounted in the slider to drive the optical fiber in the longitudinal direction, and the optical fiber was held, but the same effect can be obtained even if the piezoelectric ceramic is provided only on one side of the optical fiber and pressure-supported. Can be played.

[0043]

As described above in detail with reference to the embodiments, according to the optical switch of the present invention, a plurality of optical fibers are provided in the guide groove of the supporting member arranged on one side with their tip surfaces on the same plane. On the other hand, on the other side, a plurality of movable members which are movable in the arrangement direction of the optical fibers on the one side are vertically arranged on the other side, and the optical fibers are respectively attached to the movable members on one side. Since the optical fiber on the other side is mounted so as to be parallel to the optical fiber on the other side and the tip end surface of the optical fiber on the other side is supported so as to approach and separate from the tip end surface of the optical fiber on the one side, By using the other side as the switching end as the fixed end, it is possible to reduce the number of drive systems to less than half, and it is not necessary to use a connector for fiber connection, and it is possible to downsize and integrate the device itself. Planning It can be. Further, by moving the optical fibers to be connected in a unique plane that does not interfere in the height direction, it is possible to perform a random connection switching operation and facilitate the connection switching operation of the optical fibers.

Further, according to the optical fiber driving mechanism of the present invention, since the oscillator is held in contact with the optical fiber and the optical fiber is supported movably in the longitudinal direction by the traveling wave generated by the oscillator, the optical fiber is rotated. It is possible to reduce the size of the device itself by eliminating the drive mechanism. Furthermore, since the moving member having the optical fiber mounted thereon is movably supported on the guide rail that holds the vibrator in contact with the end thereof, and the moving member can be moved by generating a traveling wave on the guide rail by the vibrator. Therefore, a peripheral mechanism including a drive motor for moving the moving member is not required, and the size of the device itself can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an optical switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a drive mechanism of a slider.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a connection switching unit of an optical fiber.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a drive mechanism of an optical fiber.

FIG. 6 is a front view of an optical fiber connection switching unit showing an optical switch according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an optical fiber connection switching unit showing an optical switch according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a drive mechanism of an optical fiber representing an optical switch according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 fiber array 14 guide groove 17,29 optical fiber 22, 52, 53, 61 linear guide rail 23, 64 slider 25 drive motor 27, 67 support pipe 33, 34, 62, 63 piezoelectric ceramics 37 coil spring 38 marker (detector) ) 39 Photoelectric sensor 41 Solenoid 55 Operation rod 56 Engagement pin 65 Leaf spring

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Izumi Mikawa 1-1-6 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nihon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of guide grooves are formed in parallel in a horizontal direction on a support member arranged on one side, and an optical fiber is attached to each of the guide grooves such that the tip end surfaces thereof are located on the same plane. On the other hand, a plurality of moving members, which are movable in the arrangement direction of the optical fibers on the one side, are arranged on the other side by the driving means, and the optical fibers are respectively arranged on the moving members in parallel with the optical fibers on the one side. The optical switch, wherein the optical fiber on the other side is supported by the connection switching means so that the tip end surface of the optical fiber can be moved toward and away from the tip end surface of the optical fiber on the one side. 2. The optical switch according to claim 1, wherein the connection switching means movably supports the optical fiber on the other side along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber and moves forward so that the front end surface of the optical fiber is on the one side. An optical switch characterized in that it can be held at a position where it is slightly in contact with or slightly separated from the surface and a position where it does not contact other optical fibers when it is moved backward and horizontally. 3. The optical switch according to claim 2, wherein the connection switching means movably supports a support member on which one side of the optical fiber is mounted along the up-down direction, and ascends so that its tip end surface is the other side. The optical switch is characterized in that it can be held at a position that is slightly in contact with or slightly separated from the front end face of the optical fiber on the side. 4. The optical switch according to claim 2, wherein the connection switching means movably supports the optical fiber on the other side in the up-down direction, and ascends so that the front end surface of the optical fiber is on the one side. An optical switch characterized in that it can be held at a position where it is slightly in contact with or slightly separated from the surface and a position where it does not contact other optical fibers when it descends and moves horizontally. 5. The optical switch according to claim 1, wherein the connection switching means is configured by combining the connection switching means according to claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4. 6. A drive mechanism for moving an optical fiber in a longitudinal direction thereof, wherein a vibrator is held in contact with the optical fiber, and the optical fiber is movably supported by a traveling wave generated by the vibrator. Optical fiber drive mechanism. 7. The drive mechanism for an optical fiber according to claim 6, wherein the vibrator is a piezoelectric ceramic having an electrostrictive phenomenon. 8. The optical fiber drive mechanism according to claim 6, wherein a detecting portion having different reflectance is formed on the surface portion of the optical fiber, and the movement detecting position of the optical fiber is detected by detecting the detecting portion with a sensor. Optical fiber drive mechanism characterized by recognition. 9. A plurality of optical fibers on one side are mounted on a supporting member, while optical fibers on the other side are mounted on a moving member,
In the optical switch in which the tip end surface of the optical fiber on the other side is movable toward and away from the tip end surface of the optical fiber on the one side by connection switching drive means, the moving member is moved along the moving direction. The movable member can be moved by supporting the guide rail so as to be movable, holding an oscillator in contact with an end of the guide rail, and generating a traveling wave on the guide rail by the oscillator. Optical fiber drive mechanism.