Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.

Fujikura Limited

Naoki Nakao

Nobuo Tomita

Masato Kuroiwa

Kazuhito Saito

Mitsuaki Tamura

Masao Tachikura

Hisashi Izumita

Takeo Komiya

Hiroshi Furukawa

Yoshitaka Enomoto

Shigenori Uruno

Yoshikazu Nomura

Hajime Takemoto

Kazumasa Ozawa

Takashi Ebihara

Seiji Omizu

Tohru Furukawa

Kenichi Tomita

Koji Mine

Akira Hirooka

An optical fiber distribution module having a connection board, optical connector adaptors and a storage section is provided. An array of the optical connector adaptors forms the connection board, where the optical connectors connect in-use optical fibers. The storage section, located in a separate section of the module, stores optical fibers which are not-in use. The optical fiber distribution module also includes a plurality of cord sorting boards having a plurality of fiber cord passageways. The fiber cord passageways are configured to accommodate and retain at least one optical fiber such that the optical fiber is arranged between the connection board and the storage section. In addition, both the in-use and not-in use optical fibers insert into the fiber cord passageway. The in-use optical fibers connect to the optical connector adaptors and the not-in use optical fibers are stored in the storage section as the in-use optical fibers and the not-in use optical fibers are inserted within the fiber cord passageways.

Optical fiber distribution module for holding an optical fiber cord and fiber distribution system using optical fiber cords

An optical switch 1 of the present invention comprises an optical fiber arraying member 21 for keeping a plurality of first optical fibers 20 juxtaposed with tip portions thereof being aligned, a movable arm 31, opposed to the optical fiber arraying member, for holding a tip portion of at least one second optical fiber 30, a driving mechanism 40 for driving this movable arm 31 to selectively optically coupling the second optical fiber 30 with an arbitrary first optical fiber 20, a supplying mechanism 60 for, when a first optical fiber 20 is optically coupled with the second optical fiber, dropping and charging an index matching agent to a gap between these optical fibers 20, 30, and drop controllers 67, 68 for controlling the supplying mechanism 60, wherein the index matching agent is dropped and charged into only the gap between the optical fibers, so that foreign matter produced in the driving mechanism 40 or the like is prevented from intruding into the coupling part between the optical fibers 20, 30, thus assuring stable optical characteristics.

Optical switch and switching method

The invention relates to an optical switch which is used for connecting or switching light (optical signals) by utilizing optical fibers. An optical fiber tape (6) is fixed on an optical fiber placing base (2) by an adhesive agent. A plurality of slave side optical fibers (3) are caused to protrude from the optical fiber tape (6). plurality of V grooves (5) are formed at the front edge side of the slave side optical fibers (3), a groove formed member 1 which has the master optical fiber (4) fixed in the V grooves thereof is provided. The master optical fiber (4) is caused to move in the X and Y directions in the drawing, integral with the groove-formed member (1) by a master movement mechanism 25, whereby the connection end face side of the slave side optical fibers (3) is selectively inserted in the V groove (5a), and the master optical fiber (4) and slave side optical fibers (3) are optically connected to each other in a switchable state by the master optical fiber (4) being opposite the connection end face of the slave side optical fibers (3) in the V groove (5a). When they are optically connected to each other, the connection end face sides of the master optical fiber (4) and the slave side optical fibers 3 are pressed to, pinched in and retained in the V groove (5a) by a pressing member.

Optical switch

According to the present invention, an optical switch apparatus is provided for switching the connections between a plurality of fixed optical fibers which are fixed and arranged on an optical fiber support base within a container filled with an index-of-refraction matching agent, and movable optical fibers provided on a movable base which is moved by a moving mechanism comprising a worm gear within the aforementioned container. In addition, a worm gear driving member and a cam driving member of a matching device are both provided on the exterior of the aforementioned container via a seal. This worm gear driving member which is connected to a control device, starts the positioning sequence and moves the movable base to a standby position following return of the movable base to a predetermined origin within the container. As a result, it is possible to prevent contamination of the index-of-refraction matching agent over a long period of time, and thereby reduce the connection loss to a satisfactory level. In addition, since the driving precision of the movable base is also improved, it is possible to achieve superior effects such as reduction of the array pitch of the fixed optical fibers, improvement of the precision and increase in the multiplicity of the optical switch apparatus.

Optical switch apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Chiba, Japan

Naoki Nakao