Nec Tokin Corporation

Nec Tokin Iwate, Ltd.

Michikazu Kondo

Tatsumi Ide

Shigeru Kasai

Kei Chiba

Masao Saito

Akira Yahagi

An optical switch has an electromagnetic driving mechanism that includes a U-shaped magnetic core having an intermediate portion between two leg parts, a coil wound on the U-shaped magnetic core, an armature having two end portions that can face each other on the two leg parts and supported in such a manner that the armature can make an oscillating motion, and a permanent magnet arranged to apply a magnetic flux to the U-shaped magnetic core and the armature. The optical switch also has a mirror as an optical path switching unit directly fixed on the armature, an incidence-side optical fiber for making light incident on the mirror, and emission-side optical fibers where the light with its optical path switched by the mirror is coupled.

Optical switch

A variable optical attenuator comprises an incoming fiber for propagating an incoming light beam, a mirror for reflecting the incoming light beam as a reflected light beam and an outgoing fiber for propagating as an outgoing light beam at least one part of the reflected light beam. The light intensity of the outgoing light beam is determined by the angle of reflection at the mirror. The angle of reflection at the mirror is adjusted by an actuator for rotating the mirror. The actuator comprises a plate, a coil, a housing and permanents magnets. The mirror and the coil are fixed on the plate. The housing supports the plate so that the plate is able to rotate around a rotation axis, which is included on a predetermined plane. The permanent magnets are fixed on the housing and generate predetermined magnetic flux density along the predetermined plane. When a driving current is supplied to the coil under the predetermined magnetic flux density, a Lorentz force occurs at the coil so as to rotate the coil. Together with the coil, the mirror rotates so that the light intensity of the outgoing light beam can be adjusted.

Variable optical attenuator

Growing community of inventors

Ryuugasaki, Japan

Michikazu Kondo