Patent · US Expired

Optical switch using rotatable reflector

US6526196B1 · kind B1 · utility

5Cited by
2References
31Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 9, 2001
Grant dateFeb 25, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 9, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B6/3568
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical switch includes a light transmitting/receiving sub-assembly and a reflecting device rotatable relative to and confronted with the light transmitting/receiving array sub-assembly. The reflecting device includes two reflecting strips perpendicular to each other. One of the reflecting strips is consisted of two symmetrically arranged 90-degree angled mirrors, and the other includes four symmetrically arranged 90-degree angled mirrors. The sub-assembly includes two linear arrays of collimators which are positioned on a circular disk and are perpendicular to each other corresponding to the two reflecting strips. The collimators of each collimator array are equally spaced from each other. By rotating the light transmitting/receiving sub-assembly with respect to the reflecting device, the light from the light transmitting/receiving sub-assembly is switched between the reflecting strips of the reflecting device.

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