The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 02, 1996
Filed:
Feb. 25, 1994
Jerry E Cahill, Trumbull, CT (US);
David H Tracy, Norwalk, CT (US);
The Perkin-Elmer Corp., Norwalk, CT (US);
Abstract
An optical switch includes a primary optical fiber terminating in a primary window, and a plurality of secondary optical fibers each terminating in a secondary window facing in the same direction as and spaced laterally from the primary window. A primary lens on a primary axis has a focal point positioned on the axis at the central window. Each of a plurality of secondary lenses has an axis and a focal point positioned on such axis at a secondary window. The secondary axes are parallel to and equidistant from the primary axis. A retroreflector is spaced from the lenses oppositely from each window and has an optical axis centered parallel to the primary axis midway between the primary axis and any of the secondary fibers. A stepper motor rotates the retroreflector about the primary axis to each of a plurality of selected positions to provide optical switching for light transmission between the primary fiber and any selected secondary fiber.