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US 6,275,626 B1Granted
1xN reflector switch
OwnerHerzel Laorinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fiber optics switch has a retro-reflector mirror assembly which reflects a light beam received from an input fiber in an anti-parallel, displaced manner, into one of a plurality of output fibers. Insensitivity to temperature changes, wear and tear, and vibration is achieved as well as very compact size and high speed.
Claims15
A 1×N reflector switch for switching an optical signal from one optical fiber to any of N optical fibers, comprising:
- (a) a first beam-forming unit, situated along an axis and comprising said optical fiber and a lens secured thereto;
- (b) at least two second beam-forming units disposed around said axis, parallel to said first beam-forming unit and spaced a fixed distance therefrom, said second beam-forming units each comprising an optical fiber and a lens secured thereto;
- (c) a hollow reflector assembly for reflecting said optical signal from said first beam-forming unit to any of said second beam-forming units, said reflector assembly comprising three front surface mirrors disposed perpendicular to each other, with a first mirror spaced apart from a second mirror and a third mirror by a fixed distance and with said second and third mirrors adjacent each other, to reflect said optical signal to form an anti-parallel optical signal;
- and
- (d) a mechanism for rotating said reflector assembly to align said optical signal between said first beam-forming unit with any said second beam-forming unit.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.