Flexible,modular, compact fiber optic switch

A fiber optic switching module comprising:

• a first and a second group of optical fiber receptacles which are separated from each other at opposite ends of a free space optical path, and each of which groups is respectively adapted for receiving and fixing ends of optical fibers;
• lenses juxtaposed with ends of optical fibers fixed respectively at the first and second groups and disposed along the optical path between groups, each of said lenses being respectively disposed with respect to an end of an associated optical fiber of the first or second group so that a beams of light as may be emitted from the end of the optical fiber pass through said immediately adjacent lens to propagate as a quasi-collimated beams through the optical path from said lens toward said second or first group of optical fiber receptacles;
• a first and a second sets of reflective light beam deflectors that are both disposed along the optical path between the groups of optical fiber receptacles, each of said sets of light beam deflectors being associated with one of the groups of optical fiber receptacles and having a number of light beam deflectors that equals the optical fibers in the group with which it is associated, each of the light beam deflectors in said first or said second set:
• being associated with one of the optical fibers in the associated group of optical fiber receptacles;
• being located along the optical path so the quasi-collimated beam of light as may be emitted from the lens associated with the optical fiber impinges upon the light beam deflector to be reflected therefrom through the optical path;
• and
• being energizable by drive signals supplied to said fiber optic switching module to be oriented for reflecting the quasi-collimated beam of light as may be emitted from the associated optical fiber to also reflect off a selected one of the light beam deflectors in said second or said first set;
• whereby a pair of light beam deflectors, one light beam deflector of the pair belonging to the first set and one belonging to the second set, may be selected and oriented by the drive signals supplied thereto to couple a quasi-collimated beam of light propagating through the optical path from the end of one optical fiber as may be fixed in the optical fiber receptacle either of the first or of the second group to reflect sequentially off the pair of energized light beam deflectors into a selected one of the optical fiber receptacles so as to enter an optical fiber as may be fixed at the second or at the first group of optical fiber receptacles.