An optical switch and optical communication device

Abstract

The utility model relates to optical technology field especially is a kind of optical switch and optical communication equipment.Optical switch includes: port subassembly, located the light-in / light-out side of triangular prism, including: first port, for connecting 1 optical fiber;Second port, for connecting 4 optical fibers;Prism subassembly, including: first prism, can switch between first position and second position, when located first position, the transmission path of optical signal passes through first prism, when located second position, the transmission path of optical signal does not pass through first prism;Second prism, can switch between third position and fourth position, when located third position, the transmission path of optical signal passes through second prism, when located fourth position, the transmission path of optical signal does not pass through second prism;Wherein, second prism includes at least two second refractive parts.In the utility model, the structure of optical switch is compact, the volume is smaller, and the insertion loss is smaller.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of optical technology, and in particular to an optical switch and an optical communication device. Background Technology

[0002] Mechanical optical switches are currently a widely used optical switching technology. However, current mechanical optical switches typically only support 1×2 optical path switching, meaning switching between one input port and two output ports. When higher port counts are required, such as 1×4 (one input port and four output ports) or 1×8 (one input port and eight output ports), multiple 1×2 optical switches need to be cascaded. Combining multiple switches increases the overall system size. Furthermore, cascading introduces additional insertion loss. When multiple optical switches are cascaded, the optical signal passes through more devices, incurring insertion loss at each stage. This accumulated loss leads to a significant drop in the optical signal power reaching the final receiver, thus impacting the overall system performance. Utility Model Content

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model embodiment is to provide an optical switch and an optical communication device to solve the problem that the optical switch has a large size and large insertion loss when the number of output ports exceeds two in the prior art.

[0004] This utility model discloses an optical switch, comprising:

[0005] The port assembly, located on the light-incident / light-out side of the triangular prism, includes:

[0006] The first port is used to connect one optical fiber;

[0007] The second port is used to connect four optical fibers;

[0008] One of the first port and the second port can be used as an input port, and the other can be used as an output port;

[0009] A prism assembly for transmitting the optical signal input at the input port to the output port includes:

[0010] The first prism is capable of switching between a first position and a second position. When it is in the first position, the transmission path of the optical signal passes through the first prism. When it is in the second position, the transmission path of the optical signal does not pass through the first prism.

[0011] The second prism can switch between a third position and a fourth position. When it is in the third position, the transmission path of the optical signal passes through the second prism. When it is in the fourth position, the transmission path of the optical signal does not pass through the second prism.

[0012] The first prism includes at least one first refractive element, and the second prism includes at least two second refractive elements, each of which can cause the light transmission path to shift in a different direction.

[0013] Optionally, the second prism includes two second refractive sections, with an included angle of approximately 90° between the two second refractive sections.

[0014] Optionally, each of the second refractive portions includes two mutually parallel second light-transmitting surfaces, the first angle between the second light-transmitting surfaces and the transmission direction of the optical signal being less than 90°.

[0015] Optionally, the two second refractive parts are arranged symmetrically, with the axis of symmetry parallel to the direction of optical signal transmission.

[0016] Optionally, the two second refractive sections have the same shape and size.

[0017] Optionally, the first prism is a quadrilateral prism, including two parallel first light-transmitting surfaces, and the second angle between the first light-transmitting surfaces and the transmission direction of the optical signal is less than 90°.

[0018] Optionally, the optical switch further includes:

[0019] A triangular prism, with one side serving as the light input / output surface and the other two sides serving as reflective surfaces, is used to change the transmission direction of the optical signal.

[0020] Optionally, the optical switch further includes:

[0021] The first driving component includes:

[0022] A first drive rod is connected to the first prism and is used to drive the first prism to move to the first position or the second position.

[0023] A first relay is connected to the first drive rod and is used to provide power to the first drive rod.

[0024] The second driving component includes:

[0025] The second drive rod is connected to the second prism and is used to drive the second prism to move to the third position or the fourth position.

[0026] The second relay is connected to the second drive rod and is used to provide power to the second drive rod.

[0027] Optionally, the first port further includes: a single-fiber collimator for collimating the optical signals input / output to the first port;

[0028] The second port also includes a multi-fiber collimator for collimating the optical signals input / output to the second port.

[0029] This utility model also discloses an optical communication device, including at least one optical switch as described above.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the optical switch provided in this embodiment of the present invention are as follows:

[0031] The optical switch uses a prism assembly to switch the optical signal transmission path. When the first prism is in the first position, the optical signal transmission path changes after passing through the first prism. When the first prism is in the second position, the optical signal transmission path does not change. When the second prism is in the third position, the optical signal transmission path changes again. When the second prism is in the fourth position, the optical signal transmission path does not change. In this way, by controlling the positions of the first and second prisms, the switching of four transmission paths for one optical signal can be achieved. The optical switch has a simple structure and few components, so it is compact, small in size, and has low insertion loss. Attached Figure Description

[0032] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. The accompanying drawings include:

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of one embodiment of the optical switch provided by this utility model;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the optical switch provided by this utility model.

[0035] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the transmission path provided by this utility model;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the transmission path provided by this utility model;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the third embodiment of the transmission path provided by this utility model;

[0038] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the fourth embodiment of the transmission path provided by this utility model;

[0039] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of the structure of one embodiment of the second prism provided by this utility model;

[0040] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the second prism provided by this utility model;

[0041] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the first prism provided by this utility model.

[0042] The labels for the attached figures are as follows:

[0043] 1. Optical switch; 11. Prism assembly; 111. First prism; 1111. First refractive part; 1111a. First light-transmitting surface; 112. Second prism; 1121. Second refractive part; 1121a. Second light-transmitting surface; 12. Port assembly; 121. First port; 1211. Single-fiber collimator; 122. Second port; 1221. Multi-fiber collimator; 13. Triangular prism; 14. First drive assembly; 141. First drive rod; 142. First relay; 15. Second drive assembly; 151. Second drive rod; 152. Second relay; 16. Housing; 161. First rubber cap; 162. Second rubber cap. Detailed Implementation

[0044] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. The preferred embodiments of this utility model will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of one embodiment of the optical switch provided by this utility model. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the optical switch provided by this utility model.

[0046] The optical switch 1 includes a prism assembly 11 and a port assembly 12 arranged sequentially. The port assembly 12 includes a first port 121 and a second port 122. One of the first port 121 and the second port 122 can be used as an output port, and the other as an input port. Optical signals can be input from one port, pass through the prism assembly 11, and then be transmitted to the other port. The first port 121 is connected to one optical fiber, and the second port 122 can be connected to four optical fibers.

[0047] The prism assembly includes a first prism 111 and a second prism 112. The first prism 111 can switch between a first position and a second position. When in the first position, the transmission path of the optical signal passes through the first prism 111; when in the second position, the transmission path of the optical signal does not pass through the first prism 111. The second prism 112 can switch between a third position and a fourth position. When in the third position, the transmission path of the optical signal passes through the second prism 112; when in the fourth position, the transmission path of the optical signal does not pass through the second prism 112. The first prism 111 and the second prism 112 can move in a direction perpendicular to the optical signal transmission path. The first position is located above / below the second position, and the third position is located above / below the fourth position.

[0048] The first prism 111 includes at least one first refractive element 1111, and the second prism 112 includes at least two second refractive elements 1121. When a light signal passes through a second refractive element 1121, due to the difference in density between the prism and air, the light signal is refracted at the interface between the prism and air. Therefore, the light signal is refracted both when entering and exiting the first prism 111, and the transmission path of the light signal will change due to these two refractions. To ensure that the transmission paths do not interfere with each other, each second refractive element 1121 can shift the light transmission path in different directions, for example... Figure 1 In the second prism 112, one second refractive part 1121 causes the transmission path to shift upward, and the other second refractive part 1121 causes the light transmission path to shift downward.

[0049] See also Figure 1 Taking port 121 as the input port and port 122 as the output port as an example, when the first prism 111 is in the first position, the transmission path of the optical signal is shifted. When the first prism 111 is in the second position, the optical signal does not pass through the first prism 111 and is transmitted in a straight line along the original transmission path. The transmission path that transmits in a straight line without passing through the first prism 111 is marked as path A, and the transmission path that is shifted after passing through the first prism 111 is marked as path B.

[0050] As the optical signal continues to propagate, it will pass through the third position. If the second prism 112 is located in the third position, the transmission path of the optical signal will change based on the principle of refraction. If the second prism 112 is located in the fourth position, the transmission path of the optical signal will be a straight line along the original transmission direction. Specifically, as shown in the figure, when the optical signal propagates along path A to the third position, if the second prism 112 is located in the third position, the transmission path of the optical signal will be translated, and the translated transmission path will be marked as path a. If the second prism 112 is located in the fourth position, the transmission path of the optical signal will be a straight line, and this segment of the transmission path will be marked as path b. When the optical signal propagates along path B to the third position, similarly, if the second prism 112 is located in the third position, the transmission path of the optical signal will be translated, and the translated transmission path will be marked as path c. If the second prism 112 is located in the fourth position, the transmission path of the optical signal will be a straight line, and this segment of the transmission path will be marked as path d.

[0051] In summary, there are four transmission paths for the optical signal from the input port to the output port: Aa, Ab, Bc, and Bd. Based on the principle of reversible light transmission, when the second port 122 is used as the input port and the first port 121 is used as the output port, there are four transmission paths: aA, bA, cB, and dB. Please refer to the relevant documentation. Figures 3-6 , Figures 3-6 A schematic diagram illustrating the principle of the transmission path provided by this utility model. Figure 3 For Aa / aA transmission path, Figure 4 For Ab / bA transmission path, Figure 5 For Bc / cB transmission path, Figure 6 For Bd / dB transmission path.

[0052] Based on the above theory, different transmission paths can be selected by controlling the first prism 111 and the second prism 112 at different positions. Assuming the second position is above the first position and the fourth position is above the third position, signal 0 indicates that the first prism 111 is at the first position, or the second prism 112 is at the third position. Signal 1 indicates that the first prism 111 moves up to the second position, or the second prism 112 moves up to the fourth position. The transmission path can be selected through combinations of signals 0 and 1. For example, 00, 01, 11, and 10 correspond to each optical fiber transmission interface of the second port 122, respectively.

[0053] This embodiment implements a 1×4 optical switch. There is no need to cascade multiple 1×2 optical switches; switching the transmission path of the optical signal can be achieved simply by controlling the moving positions of the first prism 111 and the second prism 112. The entire optical switch 1 has a simple structure, resulting in a more compact design and smaller size. Furthermore, the optical path is simple, leading to lower loss and insertion loss during optical signal transmission. The small size and low insertion loss make this optical switch 1 easier to integrate into complex systems, and it requires less space and resources during deployment.

[0054] Please refer to the following: Figure 7 and Figure 8 , Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the second prism provided by this utility model. Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the second prism provided by this utility model. The second prism 112 includes two second refractive parts 1121, and the two second refractive parts 1121 form an angle of less than 180 degrees. By reasonably adjusting the position of the second prism 112, when the second prism 112 is in the third position, the light signal transmitted along path A and the light signal transmitted along path B can be received and refracted by the two second refractive parts 112 respectively.

[0055] In order to make the transmission path of the optical signal controllable and the structure of the optical switch 1 compact, each second refractive part 1121 includes two parallel second light-transmitting surfaces 1121a. The first angle between the second light-transmitting surface 1121a and the transmission direction of the optical signal is less than 90°, so that the optical signal will be refracted when it enters / exits the second light-transmitting surface 1121a. The two second light-transmitting surfaces 1121a are parallel to each other, so that the transmission direction of the light does not change, but the transmission path is translated.

[0056] The two second refractive sections 1121 are arranged symmetrically along an axis parallel to the direction of optical signal transmission. This ensures that the light rays refracted by the two second refractive sections 1121 continue to travel parallel to the direction of optical signal transmission, and that the four transmission paths a, b, c, and d are all parallel to each other and do not interfere with each other, allowing for accurate transmission of the optical signal. The two second refractive sections 1121 can be arranged close together for easy management and control, or they can be arranged separately to facilitate adjustment of their deflection angles.

[0057] To facilitate mass production and assembly, the two second refractive parts 1121 are identical in shape and size.

[0058] Please refer to the following: Figure 9The first prism 111 is a quadrilateral prism, comprising two parallel first light-transmitting surfaces 1111a, the second angle between the first light-transmitting surfaces 1111a and the direction of optical signal transmission being less than 90°. This ensures that transmission paths A and B are parallel and that the direction of optical signal transmission remains unchanged. The first prism 111 can be a rectangular prism or other parallelogram prisms.

[0059] Please continue reading. Figure 1 The optical switch 1 also includes a triangular prism 13. Two faces of the triangular prism 13 serve as reflective surfaces, which can be coated with reflective films to enhance their reflective effect. The other face serves as the light-incident / light-out surface. Light enters the triangular prism 13 from the light-incident / light-out surface, is reflected by the two reflective surfaces, and then exits the triangular prism 13 through the light-incident / light-out surface. The triangular prism 13 is used to change the transmission direction of the optical signal, thereby making the entire optical switch 1 more compact.

[0060] In one implementation scenario, the triangular prism 13 is an isosceles right-angle prism. The isosceles structure ensures the symmetry of the optical path during switching, reducing optical axis offset errors caused by changes in prism orientation. The hypotenuse of the isosceles right-angle triangle naturally forms a 45° reflecting surface. When incident light is perpendicular to the right-angle side, the reflected light path deflects at a 90° angle to the incident light, eliminating the need for additional angle calibration and reducing assembly complexity. To improve the incident performance of the right-angle prism, an anti-reflection coating can be deposited on the incident surface to reduce transmission energy loss. The light signal only needs to undergo two reflections within the right-angle prism to complete the deflection, a shorter path than non-right-angle prisms (which may require multiple reflections), reducing material absorption loss. Isosceles right-angle prisms are standard components in the optical industry, and mature manufacturing processes can guarantee surface accuracy (below λ / 4), reducing customization costs.

[0061] When the triangular prism 13 is an isosceles right-angle prism, the face corresponding to the long side serves as the incident / exit surface, and the two faces corresponding to the right-angled sides serve as the reflecting surfaces. The light signal enters perpendicularly to the incident / exit surface, undergoes total internal reflection after hitting one reflecting surface, then hits another reflecting surface, is reflected again, and exits perpendicularly to the incident / exit surface, achieving a 180° reversal of the light signal transmission direction. The addition of the triangular prism 13 can further promote the miniaturization of the optical switch 1.

[0062] To further improve the transmission performance of the optical signal and reduce energy loss, the first port 121 also includes a single-fiber collimator 1211 for collimating the optical signal input / output of the first port 121. The second port 122 also includes a multi-fiber collimator 1221 for collimating the optical signal input / output of the second port 122.

[0063] The optical switch 1 also includes a first driving assembly 14 and a second driving assembly 15. The first driving assembly 14 drives the first prism 111 to move, and the second driving assembly 15 drives the second prism 112 to move. The first driving assembly 14 includes a first driving rod 141 and a first relay 142. The first driving rod 141 is connected to the first prism 111 and drives the first prism 111 to move to a first position or a second position; the first relay 142 is connected to the first driving rod 141 and provides power to the first driving rod 141. The second driving assembly 15 includes a second driving rod 151 and a second relay 152. The second driving rod 151 is connected to the second prism 112 and drives the first prism 111 to move to a third position or a fourth position; the second relay 152 is connected to the second driving rod 151 and provides power to the second driving rod 151.

[0064] The optical switch 1 also includes a housing 16, in which all components are housed. The housing 16 is used to protect all components. The housing 16 also includes a first cap 161 and a second cap 162. The first cap 161 is fitted onto the outside of the first port, and the second cap 162 is fitted onto the outside of the second port. These caps are used to protect the fiber optic connection components of the first port 121 and the second port 122 from dust, contamination, or mechanical damage. They also help to fix the position of the fiber optic connection and ensure the stability and reliability of the connection.

[0065] This invention also provides an optical communication device, including at least one optical switch as described above.

[0066] Unlike existing technologies, the optical switch in this invention uses a prism assembly to switch the optical signal transmission path. When the first prism is in the first position, the optical signal transmission path changes after passing through the first prism. When the first prism is in the second position, the optical signal transmission path does not change. When the second prism is in the third position, the optical signal transmission path changes again. When the second prism is in the fourth position, the optical signal transmission path does not change. In this way, by controlling the positions of the first and second prisms, the switching of four transmission paths for one optical signal can be achieved. The optical switch has a simple structure and few components, so it is compact, small in size, and has low insertion loss.

[0067] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0068] It should be understood that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and are not intended to limit it. Those skilled in the art can modify the technical solutions described in the above embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features; and all such modifications and substitutions should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. An optical switch, characterized in that, include: Port components, located on the light-incident / light-out side of the triangular prism, include: The first port is used to connect one optical fiber; The second port is used to connect four optical fibers; One of the first port and the second port can be used as an input port, and the other can be used as an output port; A prism assembly for transmitting the optical signal input at the input port to the output port includes: The first prism is capable of switching between a first position and a second position. When it is in the first position, the transmission path of the optical signal passes through the first prism. When it is in the second position, the transmission path of the optical signal does not pass through the first prism. The second prism can switch between a third position and a fourth position. When it is in the third position, the transmission path of the optical signal passes through the second prism. When it is in the fourth position, the transmission path of the optical signal does not pass through the second prism. The first prism includes at least one first refractive element, and the second prism includes at least two second refractive elements.

2. The optical switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second prism includes two second refractive parts, and the two second refractive parts form an angle of less than 180° between them.

3. The optical switch according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the second refractive sections includes two parallel second light-transmitting surfaces, and the first angle between the second light-transmitting surfaces and the transmission direction of the optical signal is less than 90°.

4. The optical switch according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The two second refractive parts are arranged symmetrically, with the axis of symmetry parallel to the direction of optical signal transmission.

5. The optical switch according to claim 4, characterized in that, The two second refractive sections are identical in shape and size.

6. The optical switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first prism is a quadrilateral prism, comprising two parallel first light-transmitting surfaces, wherein the second angle between the first light-transmitting surfaces and the transmission direction of the optical signal is less than 90°.

7. The optical switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The optical switch also includes: A triangular prism, with one side serving as the light input / output surface and the other two sides serving as reflective surfaces, is used to change the transmission direction of the optical signal.

8. The optical switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The optical switch also includes: The first driving component includes: A first drive rod is connected to the first prism and is used to drive the first prism to move to the first position or the second position. A first relay is connected to the first drive rod and is used to provide power to the first drive rod. The second driving component includes: The second drive rod is connected to the second prism and is used to drive the second prism to move to the third position or the fourth position. The second relay is connected to the second drive rod and is used to provide power to the second drive rod.

9. The optical switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first port further includes: a single-fiber collimator, used to collimate the optical signals input / output to the first port; The second port also includes a multi-fiber collimator for collimating the optical signals input / output to the second port.

10. An optical communication device, characterized in that, It includes at least one optical switch as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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