Optical switch

A multichannel optical switch provided with a plurality of optical switches each comprising at least a light transmission portion, an optical path-changing portion and an actuator portion;

• characterized in that
• the light transmission portion has a light reflecting plane provided on at least one part of a plane facing the optical path-changing portion to totally reflect light, and light transmission channels having optical wave guiding bodies and being provided in at least three directions with the light reflecting plane as a starting point;
• the optical path-changing portion is provided in proximity to the light reflecting plane of the light transmission portion in a movable condition and has an optical path-changing member for at least reflecting or scattering light;
• and
• the actuator portion has a mechanism that is displaced by external signals and transmits the displacement to the optical path-changing portion;
• wherein
• the switching or dividing of an optical path is carried out by contacting or separating the optical path-changing portion to or from the light reflecting plane of the light transmission portion by displacement of the actuator portion in response to the external signals;
• so as to totally reflect an input light from the light transmission channels at the light reflecting plane of the light transmission portion and transmit it to a specific light transmission channel on an output side when the optical path-changing portion is separated from the light reflecting plane of the light transmission portion;
• or take out an input light from the light transmission channel, reflect or scatter it at the optical path-changing portion, and transmit it to a specific one or more light transmission channel(s) on the output side when the optical path-changing portion is contacted to the light reflecting plane of the light transmission portion.