Optical switch

An optical 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 move one of said distal ends between position A and position B, where said distal ends are optically aligned in at least one of said positions A or B, and not optically aligned in the other of said positions A or B.

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 position A and position B.

A optical float system for use in a fluid, comprising an optical float switch comprising a floatable 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 where said means to modify occupies said gap, and a second position where said means to modify does not occupy said gap, said optical float system further comprising an optical cable connected to said floatable housing, said optical cable comprising said first and second light guides, said light guides disposed in a filler material and surrounded by an inert fluid-tight jacket, said filler material adapted to allow said optic fibers to shift in the cable interior.

A moveable optical switch comprising a movable housing, a first and second light guide, each having proximal and distal ends, said first light guide connectable to a light source at said first light guide proximal end, said second light guide connected to a light detector at said second light guide proximal end, said optical switch having a separator assembly, said distal ends of said first and second light guides positioned in said separator assembly, said separator assembly coupled to said housing so that said separator assembly moves in response to movement of said housing, and said distal ends of said first and second light guides being adjacent but 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 distal ends between a first position A and a second position B, said distal ends being optically aligned in at least one of said first position A or said second position B, said housing being movable, and said means to modify a transmitted characteristic moving in response to movement of said housing, and said first and said second light guides bending between said distal and said proximal ends with movement of said housing.