Patent · US Expired

Optical crossbar switch

US7702193B2 · kind B2 · utility

9Cited by
6References
55Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 17, 2005
Grant dateApr 20, 2010
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 17, 2025

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B6/3556
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical crossbar switch for optically coupling optic fibers comprising: at least one first fiber (21) and a plurality of second fibers (22); a moveable fiber-end carriage (41) coupled to an end of the at least one first fiber and constrained to move along a predetermined trajectory; at least one moveable slack-control carriage (42) coupled to the body of the at least one first fiber and constrained to move along a predetermined trajectory; and at least one moving device (70, 80) controllable to move the carriages; wherein to optically couple a first fiber of the at least one first fiber to a second fiber of the plurality of second fibers, the at least one moving device moves the fiber-end carriage of the first fiber along its trajectory to a position at which the end of the first fiber is optically coupled to an end of the second fiber and moves the at least one slack-control carriage to take up slack in the first fiber generated by movement of its fiber-end carriage.

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