Optical switch

An optical float switch comprising a housing having an interior, a first and second light guide, said first and second light guides having distal ends positioned into said housing and said distal ends being separated by a gap within said interior, said optical switch further having a means to modify the received characteristics of a light beam (“means to modify”), said means to modify adapted to be movable with respect to at least one of said distal ends of said light guides between a first position A and a second position position B, where said distal ends are optically aligned in at least one of said positions A or B, and where said switch is floatable.

An optical switch comprising a housing, a powered light source and a powered light detector, said light source and light detector located remote from said housing, said light source connected to said housing with a first light guide, said light detector connected to said housing with a second light guide, said first and second light guides having distal ends positioned in said housing and said distal ends being separated by a gap and a means to modify a transmitted characteristic of a light beam, said means to modify a transmitted characteristic of a light beam adapted to be movable with respect to at least one of said optically aligned distal ends between a first position A and a second position B.

An optical switch comprising a housing having an interior, a powered light source and a powered light detector, said light source and light detector located remote from said housing, said light source connected to said housing with a first light guide, said light detector connected to said housing with a second light guide, said first and second light guides having distal ends positioned in said housing and one of said distal ends being movable between a first position of optical alignment with said second distal end and a second position of non-optical alignment with said second distal end.

A method of detecting the level of a liquid in a hazardous explosion prone environment, the method comprising the steps of deploying an optical switch in a hazardous explosion prone environment, said optical switch comprising a housing having an interior, a powered light source and a powered light detector, said light source and light detector located remote from said housing, said light source connected to said housing with a first light guide, said light detector connected to said housing with a second light guide, said first and second light guides having distal ends positioned into said housing and said distal ends being separated by a gap within said interior, said optical switch further having a means to modify the received characteristics of a light beam (“means to modify”), said means to modify adapted to be movable with respect to at least one of said distal ends of said light guides between a first position A and a second position B, and the step of emitting a light from said light source located remote from said hazardous explosion prone environment for transmission by said first light guide, and the step of examining said second light guide with said light receiver at a location remote from said hazardous explosion prone environment for the presence or absence of a light.