Optical beam switch

US8934742B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• TRUMPF Laser GmbH + Co. KG · DE

Inventors

• Andreas Voss · Essen, DE
• Thomas Rataj · Schweiz, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 30, 2011
• Grant date: Jan 13, 2015
• Expiry date: Apr 27, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B6/3558
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An optical beam switch includes at least one input optical wave guide, multiple output optical wave guides and an optical switching element for selectively switching a light beam guided in the at least one input optical wave guide to one of the output optical wave guides, in which the switching element is between the at least one input optical waveguide and the multiple output optical waveguides. The optical switching element includes a beam propagation element and an optical focusing system, where the beam propagation element has two mutually opposed end faces and where either the beam propagation element or the optical focusing system can be deflected and/or twisted transversely to an optical axis. The at least one input optical wave guide is attached to a first end face of the beam propagation element, and the output optical wave guides are attached to a second end face.