Optical switcher used for broadcast station

• US 6,859,579 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Mizutani, Takashi, Suzuki, Kenichirou, Shiozawa, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAIL, ALLYSON NEEL
• Application Number:
  US10/256,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20030063841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 385/17, 385/18
• US Class Current: 385/18
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00357 involving bonding one or several substrates on a non-temporary support, e.g. another substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2201/019 Bonding or gluing multiple substrate layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/32 having lens focusing means positioned between opposed fibre ends with lens being an integral part of the single fibre end G02B6/262
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3512 the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3518 the reflective optical element being an intrinsic part of a MEMS device, i.e. fabricated together with the MEMS device MEMS devices in general B81B; manufacture of MEM devices in general B81C; micromechanical devices controlling the direction of light G02B26/0833
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3546 NxM switch, i.e. a regular array of switches elements of matrix type constellation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/357 Electrostatic force electrostatic forces controlling reflecting elements in general G02B26/0841

Abstract

To provide an optical switcher capable of sending incident light on one input port to any plurality of output ports. The optical switcher includes input ports disposed on extensions of m input optical paths (m being 2 or greater natural number), output ports disposed on extensions of n output optical paths (n being 2 or greater natural number), and movable translucent switch mirrors 3₁₁-3_mn, disposed at intersections of the m input optical paths and the n output optical paths, for switching between the input optical paths and the output optical paths. A switch mirror 3₁₁-3_mn located nearer the input ports has a higher transmittance.

Claims

1. An optical switcher, comprising:

input ports disposed on extensions of m input optical paths (m being 2 or greater natural number);

output ports disposed on extensions of n output optical paths (n being 2 or greater natural number);

movable translucent switch mirrors, disposed at intersections of the m input optical paths and the n output optical paths, for switching between said input optical paths and said output optical paths to provide a one-to-L optical switcher (L being 2 or greater natural number),

said movable translucent switch mirrors having a position reflecting a part of an input optical signal and passing another part of the input optical signal; and

a driving mechanism for driving said movable translucent switch mirrors such that an optical signal in one of said input optical paths is delivered into a plurality of said output optical paths.

2. The optical switcher according to claim 1, wherein a movable switch mirror located nearer said input ports has a transmittance higher than a transmittance of a movable translucent switch mirror located farther from said input ports such that a plurality of delivered output optical signals in the output optical paths have approximately equal signal powers.

3. The optical switcher according to claim 1, wherein

a movable translucent switch mirror comprises a microelectro-mechanical arrangement, and

said microelectro-mechanical arrangement includes:

a substrate;

a plurality of trenches arranged in said substrate, the plurality of trenches being allocated in matrix manner;

translucent plates disposed above each said trenches, said translucent plates being capable of rotating in said trenches; and

driving means for rotating said translucent plates.

4. The optical switcher according to claim 3, wherein said microelectro-mechanical arrangement further includes metal material deposited on a part of wall of said trenches and said translucent plate is rotated by electrostatic attraction between said translucent plate and said metal material.

5. A one-to-N optical switcher, comprising:

output ports disposed on extensions of n output optical paths (n being a natural number greater of at least

     2);

input ports disposed on extensions of m input optical paths (m being a natural number of at least

     2), each input port connectable to plural of the output ports to enable a one-to-L broadcasting mode connection (L being a natural number of at least

     2);

movable translucent switch mirrors, disposed at intersections of the m input optical paths and the n output optical paths, the mirrors configured for switching between said input optical paths and said output optical paths,

said movable translucent switch mirrors having a position reflecting a part of an input optical signal and also passing another, remaining part of the input optical signal; and

a driving mechanism for driving each of said movable translucent switch mirrors such that an optical signal input to one of said input optical paths is delivered into a plurality of said output optical paths.

6. The switcher of claim 5, wherein the mirrors are linear switch mirrors moved linearly between a position reflecting only part of propagation light incident and another position reflecting none of the propagation light.

7. The switcher of claim 5, further comprising:

a transmission link connecting to each of the mirrors and configured for selectively transmitting a displacement signal to associated ones of the mirrors to cause movement of the associated mirrors.

8. The switcher of claim 7, wherein the driving mechanism comprises an actuator corresponding to each mirror and displaceable to allow each mirror to assume, independently of other mirrors, the position in which the mirror reflects the part of incident propagation light toward an associated output port and the remaining part of the light is not intercepted, allowing the remaining part of the light to travel straight ahead toward another mirror.

9. The switcher of claim 8, further comprising an input collimator lens associated with each input port.

10. The switcher of claim 8, wherein the mirrors have different transmittance.

11. The switcher of claim 10, wherein mirrors located nearer the input ports have a first transmittance that is higher than a second transmittance of mirrors located farther from the input ports, such that each of the mirrors as a similar optical output power.

12. The switcher of claim 10, wherein mirrors located nearer the input ports have a first reflectance that is lower than a second reflectance of mirrors located farther from the input ports.