JPS6024504A - Optical selector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the construction of an optical selector simple, the number of spectral elements smaller and the length of the optical waveguide over the entire part shorter by providing respective optical waveguides in parallel and constituting one optical waveguide among the optical waveguides to have specifically no spectral elements so that the light transmitted through all the spectral elements can be passed therethrough. CONSTITUTION:An optical selector 1 has an incident port 2 at the left end and an exit port 3 at the central right end and is disposed in parallel with the three optical waveguides 4, 5, 6 formed by branching the optical waveguide between the port 2 and the port 3. The light of wavelengths lambda1, lambda2 of the light having wavelengths lambda1, lambda2, lambda3 entering the port 2 as approximately parallel light via a collimator lens are passed respectively through the waveguides 4, 5 by spectral elements 7, 8. On the other hand, the light of the wavelength lambda3 is transmitted through the elements 7, 8 and is passed through the waveguide 6. The transmission and shield of the light are selected by light shielding plates 11, 12, 13 in the optical waveguides 4, 5, 6. The light past the optical switch thereafter is condensed by the port 3 and is emitted. The light of the wavelength lambda1 is reflected by a spectral element 10 in this case as well and the light of the wavelength lambda2 is reflected by a spectral element 9 and is transmitted through the element 10. The light of the wavelength lambda3 is transmitted through the elements 9, 10.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to an optical selector having a novel structure.

In recent years, an optical transmission method has been proposed as a new signal transmission method. The optical transmission method uses a transmission cable such as an optical fiber to perform communication as an optical transmission medium. In optical transmission systems, optical switches and optical selectors exist as means for controlling transmission/blocking of optical signals. An optical switch is a switching means provided in the middle or at the end of an optical fiber, and selects whether to transmit or block light transmitted through the optical fiber. Further, the optical selector is formed of a light guide member, has a plurality of branch light guide paths, and is provided with an optical switch for each light guide path. According to this optical selector, since optical transmission systems usually use wavelength-multiplexed optical signals, a spectroscopic element separates light of each wavelength into each light guide, and an optical switch in each light guide selects whether to transmit light or block light. , it becomes possible to detect a certain signal state. Conventional optical switches and optical selectors include, for example, JP-A-56-8103 and JP-A-56-149.
No. 840, etc. can be mentioned.

However, the conventional optical selector as described above has a complicated structure, is wasteful in branching light guide paths, spectral elements, light shielding means, etc., and is not sufficiently integrated into units, making it inconvenient in actual use.

An object of the present invention is to simplify the structure of the light guide by reducing the number of branch light guides in an optical selector, and to increase the light transmission efficiency by reducing the number of spectroscopic elements.

The objective is to promote miniaturization and unitization to make it more convenient to use, and to enable the optical selector itself to reverse the direction of light transmission, thereby easily realizing the change of the direction of light transmission in the optical transmission line. .

A feature of the present invention is that light of a plurality of different wavelengths is inputted, the light of each wavelength is divided into each light guide path by a spectroscopic element, and the light of each wavelength is transmitted by an optical switch provided in each base light path.・In a light selector that allows you to select light blocking, and then condenses each part and outputs the light from the light exit, each of the above light guide paths is provided in parallel, and one of the light guide paths has the above spectroscopic element specially connected to the light guide path. The reason is that the structure is configured so that the light that has passed through all of the above-mentioned spectroscopic elements is allowed to pass through.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an optical selector according to the present invention, and this optical selector 1 has a light inlet 2 at the left end in the figure and a light outlet 3 at the right end in the figure. Three light guide paths formed by branching between 4. 5. 6 are arranged in parallel. The optical selector 1 is made of plastic, for example, and has a light guiding function. Spectroscopic elements 7, 8, 9.10 such as dichroic mirrors (interference N film filters) are fixed to the branching portions of each light guide path 4, 5.6 by vapor deposition or mechanical means.゜5.6
A gap is formed approximately at the center of the light shielding plates 11, 12, which select transmission or blocking of transmitted light through this gap.
It is equipped with 13 optical switches.

The spectroscopic elements 7, 8, 9, and 10 have the function of separating multiplexed light by reflecting or transmitting it depending on the wavelength. For example, in the embodiment, the spectroscopic element 7.10 separates only the light of wavelength λ1. It reflects and transmits other light, and spectroscopic elements 8,
9 reflects only the light of wavelength λ2 and transmits other light. Therefore, light with a wavelength λ1 passes through the light guide path 4, light with a wavelength λ2 passes through the light guide 5, and light with a wavelength λ3 passes through the light guide 6 (actually corresponding to the main line). Further, the operation of the light shielding plates 11, 12, and 13 is performed by, for example, a solenoid device (not shown), and when the light shielding plates that move up and down in the figure move into the gap, they produce a light blocking effect, and when they move outside the gap, they produce a light blocking effect. Produces a translucent effect. As a result, the wavelength λ1. λ2. A combination of transmitting and blocking light of λ3 is formed, and it becomes possible to detect a predetermined state of the object to be detected.

The optical selector 1 configured as described above is integrally formed into a unit. Further, the number of light guide paths can be arbitrarily changed depending on the number of lights to be multiplexed.

In the above, as shown in the figure, each wavelength λ1. λ2. The light of λ3 has a wavelength of λ1. λ2
The light passes through light guide paths 4 and 5 by spectroscopic elements 7 and 8, respectively. On the other hand, the light having the wavelength λ3 is transmitted through the spectroscopic elements 7 and 8 and passes through the light guide path 6. In each light guide path 4.5.6, light transmission or light blocking is selected by light shielding plates 11, 12, 13 as described in section h.

The light that has passed through the sono-rear light switch is collected at the light exit 3 and output. In this case as well, the light with wavelength λ1 is transmitted to the spectroscopic element 1.
0, the light with the wavelength λ2 is reflected by the spectroscopic element 9 and is transmitted through the spectroscopic element 1o, and the light with the wavelength λ is transmitted through the spectroscopic elements 9 and 1o.

As described above, according to the optical selector 1 according to the present invention, the light multiplexed by the spectroscopic element is separated into light of each wavelength, but the light of one wavelength (wavelength λ,) is specially separated. There is no need to provide a spectroscopic element (just another spectroscopic element 7
, 8, etc., and can be taken out simply by passing it through. Therefore, the number of spectroscopic elements can be reduced, and
By reducing the number of branched light guide paths, the length of the entire light guide path of the optical selector can be shortened overall, and the optical selector can be downsized.

FIG. 2 shows a modified embodiment of the invention. In this example,
Wavelength λ1. λ2. A light guide path 24 that allows each party of λ3 to pass through.
, 25, and 26 are arranged in parallel, but they are characterized in that the overall shape of the outer periphery is formed into a substantially U-shape (in the illustrated example, the top and bottom are opposite). According to this optical selector 21, since the light entrance 22 and the light exit 23 are oriented on the same side, the direction of the optical signal S passing through the optical selector 21 is opposite. Therefore, in optical transmission, it was previously difficult to reverse the direction of an optical cable in a narrow space (the optical cable could not be bent), but this has now been made possible. Note that in the optical selector 21 as well, the light shielding plate 1 of each light guide path 24, 25, 26 is
1, 12. Select light transmission/blocking according to 13,
Of course, the state can be detected.

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the structure of the optical selector can be simplified, the number of spectroscopic elements can be reduced, and the overall light guide length can be shortened, thereby achieving miniaturization and improvement in transmission efficiency. Moreover, it can be manufactured at low cost. This makes it possible to further improve the usability of the optical selector.

Furthermore, the optical selector itself can reverse the transmission direction of the optical signal due to its shape, which is extremely convenient for wiring especially when used as an optical multiplex communication system in a small vehicle such as an automobile.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually showing an optical selector according to the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually showing an optical selector according to a modified embodiment of the present invention. In the drawing, 1 and 21 are optical selectors; 4. 5. 6°24
．． 25.26 is a light guide path, 7, 8.9.10 is a spectroscopic element,
11, 12, and 13 are light shielding plates. Patent Applicant Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Toyodenso Co., Ltd. Agent Patent attorney 2 1) Yong-Immediate inquiry Patent attorney Kuni Ohashi Production volume Patent attorney Koyama Written amendment with procedure (voluntary) Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office Kazuo Wakasugi Tono 1, of the case Indication: Japanese Patent Application No. 58-133130 2, Title of the invention: Optical selector 3, Relationship with the amended case: Patent applicant (532) Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Toyo Denso Co., Ltd. 4, Agent (6735) Patent attorney Shimoda Part 5 Date of amendment order Voluntary action 6. Number of inventions increased by amendment...
・1(1) Amend the scope of claims as shown in the attached sheet. (2) The column for detailed explanation of the invention in the specification shall be corrected as follows. (b) In the 18th line of the second text of the specification, the phrase "in the optical selector" is corrected to "by forming branched light guide paths in parallel in the optical selector." (b) Delete lines 5 to 13 on page 3 of the specification and insert the following sentence in the same place. "The features of the present invention are that light of a plurality of different wavelengths is inputted, the light of each wavelength is separated into each optical path by a spectroscopic element, and the light of each wavelength is transmitted through an optical switch provided in each of the optical paths.・In the optical selector that selects light blocking and then collects and multiplexes the light of the emitted wavelength and outputs the light, the light of each of the wavelengths is separated so that the light paths are formed in parallel. Further, the present invention is characterized in that in the optical selector, each optical path is formed in parallel, and one of the optical paths is not specially equipped with a spectroscopic element, and the light of the wavelength that has passed through all of the spectroscopic elements is transmitted. (c) On page 4, line 18 of the specification, it says, ``...it will pass. Also'' [...it will pass. As mentioned above, the spectroscopic element may be any element whose filter characteristics are determined so that light of a corresponding wavelength passes through each light guide path. ” he corrected. (ii) Delete the statement ``As described above...separated into light'' from lines 4 to 6 on page 6 of the specification and insert the following sentence. [As described above, according to the optical selector 1 according to the present invention, firstly, the optical selector can be made small and compact because the light guide paths for individually extracting and passing light of each wavelength are formed in parallel. Secondly, by using a spectroscopic element,
The multiplexed light is separated into light of each wavelength, but by parallelizing the light guide paths and serially arranging the branching parts where the spectroscopic elements are arranged, the final stage - (E) Page 7 of the specification Add the following sentence between the 9th and 10th lines. [Also, in this embodiment, since the path of the branched light is formed in a straight line, it is considered that, for example, the elements 9 and 10 for multiplexing with the elements 7 and 8 for spectroscopy can be arranged close to each other. Then, 1. it is not necessarily necessary to make the light guide paths 24, 25, 26 from a specific material, and it is sufficient to simply form them as light paths by utilizing the space. ”■ Attachment [2, Claims (1) A method of transmitting light of a plurality of different wavelengths, separating the light of each wavelength into respective optical paths using a spectroscopic element, and using an optical switch provided on each of the optical paths. In an optical selector that selects whether to transmit or block light of each wavelength, and collects and multiplexes the light of its descendant wavelength and outputs the light, the light of each of the wavelengths is separated so that the respective optical paths are formed in parallel. An optical selector characterized by: An optical selector characterized in that it allows light of a certain wavelength to pass through. ”0

Claims (1)

[Claims] Light of a plurality of different wavelengths is input, the light of each wavelength is separated into each light guide path by a spectroscopic element, the transmission or blocking of each wavelength is selected by an optical switch provided in each base light path, and then each light is separated into light guide paths. In a light selector that collects light and outputs it from a light exit,
There is also an optical selector characterized in that one of the light guide paths is not specially equipped with the above spectroscopic element and allows light transmitted through all the above spectroscopic elements to pass through.