IMPROVEMENT OF MAGNETIC-ACTED OPTICAL SWITCHES.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SOULOUMIAC ALAIN
- Filing Date
- 1990-08-07
- Publication Date
- 1992-02-14
- Estimated Expiration
- Not applicable · inactive patent
AI Technical Summary
Existing optical switches with magnetic control lack mechanical sensitivity and stability, leading to inconsistent performance and susceptibility to shocks and vibrations.
Incorporating a fixed metal element with magnetic properties, such as a metal lamella, into the cover or base of the optical switch to enhance sensitivity and stability by acting as a conductor or stabilizer for the magnetic field, improving the mechanical qualities and regularity of the shutter movement.
Enhances the sensitivity and regularity of the shutter movement, making the switch more responsive to magnetic attraction while reducing shock resistance and vibration sensitivity.
Abstract
Description
ADVANCED TRAINING MAGNETIC OPTICAL SWITCHES The present invention relates to the improvement of switches whose function is to interrupt a path of light under the effect of a magnetic control. Such a switch and the prior art are described in patent application FR 87-10880 filed on July 31, 1987. The objective of the present invention is to improve the mechanical qualities of magnetically controlled optical switches. The object of the present invention is an optical switch comprising a base through which a path of light passes, a guide slot cutting said path, a movable shutter-spring blade in said guide slot under the effect of a magnetic field, characterized by the presence of at least one fixed metallic element distinct from the movable parts of the shutter and having magnetic properties. The base on which the spring-loaded shutter blade is positioned is movable and is generally closed by a cover which acts as a stop to the upper movement of the blade, the whole forming a housing. This fixed metal element can take the form of a glued strip or an inlaid particle embedded in the molding material forming the switch housing. I1 can be either a simple conductor of the magnetic field or possess magnetic attraction qualities itself. I1 can be placed either in the lid, in which case it will be used as a conductor and amplifier of the magnetic effect of a permanent magnet moved above the lid, or in the base, in which case it will be used as a stabilizing magnet compensating for the residual magnetic field of the permanent magnet when the latter is moved away from the spring-loaded shutter blade so that the latter returns to its rest position. The presence of these fixed metal elements, separate from the moving parts of the shutter, improves the mechanical properties of the switch. By loading the upper part of the switch cover, which is located above the magnetic attraction surface of the spring-loaded shutter blade, with metal or by embedding a metal strip with magnetic conductivity, both the sensitivity to magnetic attraction and the consistency of the blade's mechanical performance are improved. Thus, the movement of the shutter in response to magnetic attraction becomes more pronounced and sensitive, and the magnetic attraction distance of a given magnet becomes more consistent from one switch to another built using the same method. By loading the base of the switch, which is located below the magnetic attraction surface of the shutter, with metal, or by embedding a metal strip with magnetic attraction qualities, the resistance of the optical switch to shocks and vibrations is improved. An embodiment of the improvements made to this optical switch is described, by way of example, with reference to the attached drawing - figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the switch according to the invention. Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a switch according to the invention. It shows three parts of the switch: a base 1, a spring-loaded shutter blade 2 and a cover 3. The spring-loaded shutter blade actuating the shutter 2 rises from the base 1 to the cover 3 under the effect of magnetic attraction due to an electromagnet or the approach of a permanent magnet. The shutter thus allows light to pass, in the example shown, along an optical fiber 5 divided into two sections 51-52. According to the invention, the presence of a magnetically conductive metal, for example a steel strip 31, in the cover 3, above the magnetic attraction zone 21, improves the switch's behavior. It becomes more sensitive to magnetic attraction: for example, a permanent magnet will cause the spring-loaded shutter blade 2 to lift over a greater distance. The presence of this blade improves the consistency of this distance from one switch to another. Finally, the movement is more precise: the movement of the magnet between the beginning of the lifting of the spring-loaded shutter blade 2 and the end of the lifting – that is, the moment when this spring-loaded blade 2 comes to rest against the cover – is shorter. According to the invention, the presence of magnetized metal, for example a magnetic strip 11, in the base 1, below the magnetic attraction zone 21, significantly improves the switch's behavior. I1 becomes less sensitive to shocks and vibrations: the magnetic field of a permanent magnet at rest—that is, located at a distance such that it does not cause the spring-loaded shutter blade 2 to lift—is counterbalanced by the attraction of the magnetic strip 11. The presence of this strip improves the consistency of the attraction distance of a permanent magnet from one switch to another. Finally, the movement is more precise: the movement of the magnet between the beginning and end of the lifting of the spring-loaded blade 2 is shorter. These magnetic elements 11 and 31 can be used together or separately. It goes without saying that many variants can be introduced, in particular by substituting technically equivalent means without going out of the scope of the invention.
Claims
DEMANDS 1. Optical switch comprising a base (1) through which a path of light (5) passes, a guide slot cutting said path (6), a movable shutter-spring blade in said guide slot under the effect of a magnetic field up to an upper stop formed by a cover 3, characterized by the presence of at least one fixed metallic element (31 & 11) distinct from the movable parts of the shutter and having magnetic properties.
2. Optical switch according to claim 1 characterized in that the metallic element (31) is placed in the cover (3) of the switch above a magnetic attraction surface of the moving parts of the shutter.
3. Optical switch according to claim 1 characterized in that this permanently magnetized metallic element (11) is placed in the base below the magnetic attraction surface of the moving parts of the shutter.
4. Optical switch according to claim 1 characterized in that or in these metallic elements (11 & 31) are constituted by a strip.
5. Optical switch according to claim 1 characterized in that this or these metallic elements (11 & BR< 31) are made up of particles charged in the base or the cover.