Optical switch controller and movable body controller

• US 8,083,361 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2009
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ide, Satoshi, Mori, Kazuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOI, WILLIAM C
• Application Number:
  US12/654,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20100103493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 359/877, 359/224.1, 359/290
• US Class Current: 359/877
• 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 6/3556 NxM switch, i.e. regular arrays of switches elements of matrix type constellation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/357 Electrostatic force electrostatic forces controlling reflecting elements in general G02B26/0841
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3584 constructional details of an associated actuator having a MEMS construction, i.e. constructed using semiconductor technology such as etching MEMS per se B81B, B81C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3588 of the processed beams, i.e. controlling during switching of orientation, alignment, or beam propagation properties such as intensity, size or shape
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/003 using switches based on microelectro-mechanical systems [MEMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0039 Electrical control

Abstract

In an optical switch controller, in order that residual vibration at movement control of a movable body such as a tilt mirror can be reduced and controlled with high accuracy, a processing unit outputs a driving signal for controlling the angle of the tilt mirror, the driving signal is D/A converted by a D/A converter and then is changed to a high-voltage signal by a high-voltage amplifier to be supplied to the tilt mirror, the electrostatic capacity of the tilt mirror changes corresponding to angle change of the tilt mirror, a mirror-angle detecting unit detects the electrostatic capacity and feeds back it as a correction value to a processing unit, and the processing unit corrects the driving signal using a correction value obtained when the angle of the tilt mirror is actually changed.

Claims

1. An optical switch controller performing angle control of a mirror, the optical switch controller comprising:

a mirror angle sensor to output a periodic signal, wherein a period of the periodic signal changes according to a change of an angular position of said mirror;

a signal period detector to detect the period of the periodic signal outputted from said mirror angle sensor; and

a controller to control the angular position of said mirror based on the period detected by said signal period detector,

wherein the mirror angle sensor includes an oscillator-type electrostatic capacity sensor which changes the period of the periodic signal depending on variations of an electrostatic capacity caused by changes of the angle position of said mirror.

2. An optical switch controller according to claim 1, wherein said signal period detector further comprises:

a multi-value state holding unit to hold a multi-value state by the periodic signal outputted from said mirror angle sensor; and

a state detecting unit to detect changes in the multi-value state of said multi-value state holding unit by using a system clock faster than said periodic signal.

3. An optical switch controller according to claim 1, wherein said signal period detector and said controller are integrated on the same semiconductor chip.

4. An optical switch controller according to claim 1, wherein said mirror angle sensor includes an oscillator-type electrostatic capacity sensor which changes said periodic signal depending on variations of an electrostatic capacity caused by changes of the angular position of said mirror.

5. An optical switch controller according to claim 1, wherein said mirror angle sensor includes an oscillator-type inductance sensor which changes said periodic signal depending on variations of an inductance caused by variations of the angular position of said mirror.

6. An optical switch controller performing angle control of a mirror, the optical switch controller comprising:

means for outputting a periodic signal whose period changes according to a change of an angular position of said mirror;

means for detecting the period of the outputted periodic signal; and

means for controlling the angular position of said mirror based on the detected period,

wherein the means for outputting the periodic signal includes an oscillator-type electrostatic capacity sensor which changes the period of the periodic signal depending on variations of an electrostatic capacity caused by changes of the angle position of said mirror.