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US 6,208,777 B1Granted
Actuator assembly for optical switches
AssigneePrimawave Photonics, Inc.
InventorXingliang Jing
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mechanical assembly for an optical switch comprises an actuator, an axle assembly, a lever pivotably connected to the axle assembly to transfer mechanical movements generated by the actuator, and an optical switching element, connected to the lever, capable of being switched between its on and off positions by mechanical movements of the actuator.
Claims69
A mechanical assembly for an optical switch, comprising:
- (a) an actuator capable of generating repetitive movements in opposite directions;
- (b) an axle assembly, comprising:
- (i) a hollow cylindrical shaft rotatable about a center axis, the cylindrical shaft having an exterior sidewall and an interior sidewall defining a hollow interior and an open end;
- (ii) a screw fastened to the interior sidewall of the cylindrical shaft through the open end;
- (iii) first and second ball bearings each comprising an inner annulus, an outer annulus and a plurality of balls movably positioned between the inner and outer annuli, the inner annuli of the ball bearings attached to the exterior sidewall of the cylindrical shaft;
- and
- (iv) a spacer positioned between the first and second ball bearings;
- (c) a lever connected to the actuator and the axle assembly, the lever pivoted about the center axis of the cylindrical shaft;
- and
- (d) an optical switching element, connected to the lever, capable of moving repetitively in opposite directions in response to repetitive movements generated by the actuator.
7 more elements
An assembly for driving an optical switching element of an optical switch, the optical switching element capable of occupying an on position to intercept an optical path or an off position away from the optical path, the assembly comprising:
- (a) a support plate having first and second surfaces opposite each other, the support plate having at least one aperture perforating the first and second surfaces, the optical switching element located above the first surface of the support plate when it is in the on position;
- (b) an actuator, connected to the support plate, capable of generating repetitive movements in opposite directions;
- (c) an axle assembly, comprising:
- (i) a hollow cylindrical shaft rotatable about a center axis which is fixedly positioned with respect to the support plate, the cylindrical shaft having an exterior sidewall and an interior sidewall defining a hollow interior and an open end;
- (ii) a screw fastened to the interior sidewall of the cylindrical shaft through the open end;
- (iii) first and second ball bearings each comprising an inner annulus, an outer annulus and a plurality of balls movably positioned between the inner and outer annuli, the inner annuli of the ball bearings attached to the exterior sidewall of the cylindrical shaft;
- and
- (iv) a spacer positioned between the first and second ball bearings;
- and
- (d) a lever connected to the actuator and the axle assembly, the lever pivoted about the center axis of the cylindrical shaft to drive the optical switching element between the on and off positions.
7 more elements
An optical switch, comprising:
- (a) an optical switching element capable of occupying an on position to intercept an optical path or an off position away from the optical path;
- (b) a support plate having first and second surfaces opposite each other, the support plate having at least one aperture perforating the first and second surfaces, the optical switching element located above the first surface of the support plate when it is in the on position;
- (c) an actuator, connected to the support plate, capable of generating repetitive movements in opposite directions;
- (d) a lever connected between the actuator and the optical switching element to drive the optical switching element between the on and off positions;
- (e) means for stably pivoting the lever;
- and
- (f) a flexible connector connected between the actuator and the lever to transfer movements from the actuator to the lever, the flexible connector comprising at least two metal wires having different resonant frequencies.
4 more elements
An assembly for driving an optical switching element of an optical switch, the optical switching element capable of occupying an on position to intercept an optical path or an off position away from the optical path, the assembly comprising:
- (a) a support plate having first and second surfaces opposite each other, the support plate having at least one aperture perforating the first and second surfaces, the optical switching element located above the first surface of the support plate when it is in the on position;
- (b) an actuator, connected to the second surface of the support plate, capable of generating repetitive movements in opposite directions;
- (c) a fixed member connected to the second surface of the support plate;
- (d) an axle assembly connected to the fixed member;
- (e) a lever connected to the actuator and pivotably supported by the axle assembly to drive the optical switching element between the on and off positions;
- (f) a first metal block fixedly connected to the second surface of the support plate at a position to stop the lever from moving farther when the optical switching element reaches the on position;
- (g) a solenoid connected to the second surface of the support plate;
- (h) a contact pad connected to the lever and positioned to contact the first metal block directly when the optical switching element is in the on position;
- and
- (j) a magnet, connected to the contact pad, positioned to be attracted to the solenoid when the optical switching element is switched from the off position to the on position.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.