Jds Fitel Inc.

Timothy P Cutts

Philip M Garel-Jones

Yihao Cheng

Gary S Duck

Murray R Harman

Carey M Garrett

A low profile optical switching device has a housing with a width and length considerably greater than its height, a motor having an upright shaft extending less than the height of the housing, a circular faceplate surrounding an upper end portion of the shaft and having a diameter considerably larger than the length of the shaft, and a plurality of first optical fibers each having a fixed fiber end portion held by the faceplate. The fixed fiber end portions, usually constituted by lenses, are arranged so as to define a substantially cylindrical imaginary surface co-axial with and communicating with the faceplate. These fixed fiber end portions can receive light from a further optical fiber having a movable end portion carried by an arm extending radially from the motor shaft and which moves around a circular path adjacent the fixed fiber end portions, the light being transmitted via a prism mounted on the arm adjacent the movable fiber end portion.

Low profile optical fiber switch

An opto-mechanical switch suitable for use in optical telecommunications systems comprises an input port and two output ports interconnected by an optical path, an optical element and an actuation mechanism for moving the optical element relative to the optical path so as to change coupling of light beams between the input port and the output ports. The optical element is supported by a flexible suspension unit comprising a pair of mutually-spaced twin elongate flexures. Each of the pair of flexures is attached at one end to an anchorage and at its other end to a mounting for optical element. The flexures are identical in length and flexibility and are spaced apart in the direction of displacement of the optical element. In use, when the actuator displaces the optical element, the flexures flex in common in the direction of displacement of the optical element. The optical element may be an optical fiber, a mirror, a prism, and so on. The twin flexures obviate the need for precision sliding surfaces which assures greater dependability, especially in switches which are used very infrequently, such as routing switches for re-routing traffic around a failed local station in a ring architecture system.

Opto-mechanical device having optical element movable by twin flexures

A method and apparatus is provided for injecting an optical test pulse mid-stream into an optical path to be tested by providing a switch that in normal transmitting and receiving of data includes two lenses separated by a gap. Data is usually transmitted across the gap from one lens to the other. In a test mode where OTDR is to be performed, a prism functioning in a similar manner to a periscope is moved into the gap between the lenses to couple/inject a test pulse into one of the lenses. An arrangement is described wherein either side of transmission line on either side of the gap can be tested.

Apparatus for inserting light signals into, or receiving light signals

An tunable optical filter of the kind used, for example, in wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) optical communication systems and tunable source applications, has an interference filter element which is pivotable to adjust the operating wavelength of the filter. In order to reduce polarization dependency as the angle of the interference filter element changes, the light beam to be filtered is passed through the filter element twice, the second time with its polarization state shifted, specifically orthogonal, relative to the polarization state during the first pass. As a result, polarization dependent effects are equalized. The optical filter comprises a pivotally mounted filter element, an input optical fiber for directing a light beam to be filtered through the filter element in a first direction with a first polarization state, optical elements for rotating the polarization state of the filtered light beam and returning the light beam through the filter element (10) a second time, and an output optical fiber for receiving the light beam following passage of the light beam though the filter element the second time. The optical elements may comprise a reflector for reflecting a light beam emerging from the optical filter element to return through the optical filter element in the opposite direction, and a polarization rotator, such as a quarter-wave plate or a Faraday rotator, for rotating the polarization state of the light beam through 90 degrees before passage in the opposite direction.

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Ottawa, Canada

Timothy P Cutts