Patent · US Expired

Multi-position opto-electronic switch

US4995693A · kind A · utility

11Cited by
2References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateAug 5, 1988
Grant dateFeb 26, 1991
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 5, 2008

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B6/3652
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical switch for coupling one of a plurality of input light sources to one of a plurality of output terminals is comprised of a Bragg cell array acoustically excited in accordance with one or more preselected control frequencies from a selectable source of such frequencies. The beam deflection is proportional to the applied radio frequency. A scan lens is positioned to intercept the deflected beams and to focus the beams into a plane for imaging upon a linear array of optical output fibers. By choice of the control frequency any combination of input and output fiber optic lines may be optically coupled without requiring active sensors. Sufficient diffraction is provided by the Bragg cell in combination with the scan lens to minimize cross-talk and insertion loss.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.