阅读说明：本技术 光开关 (Optical switch ) 是由 不公告发明人 于 2021-09-02 设计创作，主要内容包括：本申请公开了一种光开关,光开关包括：多层准直器,每层准直器包括第一准直器至第四准直器,每层准直器中,第一准直器与第三准直器、第二准直器与第四准直器分别相对设置；光路切换元件,光路切换元件在每层准直器中具有相应的停留位置,光路切换元件可选择地位于其中一层准直器的停留位置,当光路切换元件位于该层准直器的停留位置时,该层准直器的第一准直器和第二准直器、第三准直器和第四准直器分别实现光路耦合；当光路切换元件没有位于该层准直器的停留位置时,该层准直器的第一准直器和第三准直器、第二准直器和第四准直器分别实现光路耦合。本申请的光开关有体积小、切换同步特性好、切换速度快、能耗小和传输损耗小的优点。(The application discloses optical switch, optical switch includes: each layer of collimator comprises a first collimator, a second collimator and a third collimator, and the first collimator and the third collimator, the second collimator and the fourth collimator are respectively arranged oppositely in each layer of collimator; the optical path switching element is provided with a corresponding stop position in each layer of collimator and can be selectively positioned at the stop position of one layer of collimator, and when the optical path switching element is positioned at the stop position of the layer of collimator, the first collimator and the second collimator of the layer of collimator, and the third collimator and the fourth collimator of the layer of collimator respectively realize optical path coupling; when the optical path switching element is not located at the stop position of the layer of collimator, the first collimator and the third collimator of the layer of collimator, and the second collimator and the fourth collimator of the layer of collimator respectively realize optical path coupling. The optical switch has the advantages of small size, good switching synchronization characteristic, high switching speed, low energy consumption and low transmission loss.)

1. An optical switch, comprising:

each layer of collimator comprises a first collimator, a second collimator and a third collimator, wherein the first collimator and the third collimator are arranged oppositely, and the second collimator and the fourth collimator are arranged oppositely;

the optical path switching element is provided with a corresponding stop position in each layer of collimator, the optical path switching element can be selectively positioned at the stop position of one layer of collimator, and when the optical path switching element is positioned at the stop position of the layer of collimator, the first collimator and the second collimator of the layer of collimator realize optical path coupling, and the third collimator and the fourth collimator realize optical path coupling; when the optical path switching element is not located at the stop position of the layer of collimator, the first collimator and the third collimator of the layer of collimator realize optical path coupling, and the second collimator and the fourth collimator realize optical path coupling.

2. The optical switch of claim 1, wherein in each layer of collimators, the optical axis of the first collimator coincides with the optical axis of a third collimator, the optical axis of the second collimator coincides with the optical axis of a fourth collimator, the optical axis of the first collimator is parallel to the optical axis of the second collimator, and the optical axis of the third collimator is parallel to the optical axis of the fourth collimator; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

in each layer of collimator, the optical axis of the first collimator coincides with the optical axis of the third collimator, the optical axis of the second collimator coincides with the optical axis of the fourth collimator, the optical axis of the first collimator is perpendicular to the optical axis of the second collimator, and the optical axis of the third collimator is perpendicular to the optical axis of the fourth collimator.

3. The optical switch of claim 1, wherein each layer of collimators further comprises the fifth to eighth collimators, the fifth collimator disposed opposite the seventh collimator, and the sixth collimator disposed opposite the eighth collimator;

when the optical path switching element is located at the stop position of the layer of collimator, the fifth collimator and the sixth collimator of the layer of collimator realize optical path coupling, and the seventh collimator and the eighth collimator realize optical path coupling; when the optical path switching element is not located at the stop position of the layer of collimator, the fifth collimator and the seventh collimator of the layer of collimator realize optical path coupling, and the sixth collimator and the eighth collimator realize optical path coupling.

4. An optical switch according to claim 3, wherein in each layer of collimators, the optical axis of the first collimator coincides with the optical axis of a third collimator, the optical axis of the second collimator coincides with the optical axis of a fourth collimator, the optical axis of the fifth collimator coincides with the optical axis of a seventh collimator, and the optical axis of the sixth collimator coincides with the optical axis of an eighth collimator;

the optical axis of the first collimator is parallel to the optical axis of the second collimator, the optical axis of the third collimator is parallel to the optical axis of the fourth collimator, the optical axis of the fifth collimator is parallel to the optical axis of the sixth collimator, and the optical axis of the seventh collimator is parallel to the optical axis of the eighth collimator;

the optical axis of the first collimator is vertical to the optical axis of the fifth collimator;

the first collimator to the eighth collimator in the multi-layered collimator have the same arrangement.

5. The optical switch of claim 3, wherein when the optical path switching element is in the rest position of the layer of collimators, the optical path switching element is located between the first collimator and the third collimator, between the second collimator and the fourth collimator, between the fifth collimator and the seventh collimator, and between the sixth collimator and the eighth collimator of the layer of collimators.

6. The optical switch according to claim 5, wherein the first collimator and the third collimator are symmetrically disposed with respect to the optical path switching element when the optical path switching element is located at the rest position of the layer of collimators; the second collimator and the fourth collimator are symmetrically arranged relative to the optical path switching element; the fifth collimator and the seventh collimator are symmetrically arranged relative to the optical path switching element; the sixth collimator and the eighth collimator are symmetrically arranged with respect to the optical path switching element.

7. The optical switch of claim 3, further comprising a housing, the housing having a receiving cavity and opposite first and third sidewalls, and opposite second and fourth sidewalls, the first and second collimators being disposed at the mounting hole of the first sidewall of the housing, the fifth and sixth collimators being disposed at the mounting hole of the second sidewall of the housing, the third and fourth collimators being disposed at the mounting hole of the third sidewall of the housing, the seventh and eighth collimators being disposed at the mounting hole of the fourth sidewall of the housing, and the optical path switching element being liftably disposed in the receiving cavity of the housing.

8. The optical switch according to claim 3, wherein when the optical path switching element is located at the stop position of the layer of collimators, after the light beam undergoes one or two vertical total reflections, the first collimator and the second collimator of the layer of collimators realize optical path coupling, the third collimator and the fourth collimator realize optical path coupling, the fifth collimator and the sixth collimator realize optical path coupling, and the seventh collimator and the eighth collimator realize optical path coupling.

9. The optical switch of claim 1, wherein the optical path switching element is a combined multi-faceted mirror or a combined multi-faceted mirror prism.

10. An optical switch according to claim 9, wherein the optical path switching element is a combined polygon mirror prism, and the optical switch further comprises an optical path compensation element disposed on an upper surface and a lower surface in a moving direction of the optical path switching element and selectively located at a staying position of one of the layers of collimators, and beams passing therethrough when the optical path compensation element or the optical path switching element is located at the staying position of the one layer of collimators have the same equivalent optical path length.

11. The optical switch of claim 10, wherein the optical path length compensation element is a glass block.

12. An optical switch according to claim 1, further comprising a lifting mechanism for driving the optical path switching element to selectively move to a rest position of one of the layers of collimators.

13. An optical switch according to claim 12, wherein the elevating mechanism includes a relay and a link, the optical path switching element is provided on the link, and the relay drives an end of the link where the optical path switching element is provided to ascend and descend.

14. An optical switch according to any of claims 1 to 13, comprising two layers of collimators.

Technical Field

The present application relates to the technical field of optical communication, and in particular, to an optical switch.

Background

As the industry has developed, optical communications have evolved from single-wave to multi-wave, from single-channel to multi-channel, with the switching of optical paths becoming increasingly complex. Particularly, at present, the transceiver end of the optical path including the optical transmission module tends to transmit and switch multiple paths of light at the same time, and multiple optical switches are required to switch the optical path at the same time.

In the existing optical switches, the mechanical optical switch occupies most of the optical switch market due to low price, large channel switching number and mature application. The mechanical optical switches are classified according to switching channel modes, and basically have structures of 1 × 1, 1 × 2 and 2 × 2, and the optical switches with other multi-channel number switching functions are all formed by stacking, cascading and combining the optical switches in the modes so as to realize optical path channels switched by a plurality of optical switches at the same time. Although the optical switches can realize the required optical switching function of a plurality of optical switches in the form of stacking, cascading and combining, the defects or shortcomings of large volume, poor synchronization characteristic, low switching speed, high power consumption, large transmission loss and the like of the optical switch structure are inevitably brought, and the market demand cannot be met.

Disclosure of Invention

The application aims to provide an optical switch, which comprises a plurality of layers of collimators and optical path switching elements and overcomes the defects of large volume, poor synchronization characteristic, low switching speed, high power consumption and large transmission loss of the conventional optical switch for realizing simultaneous optical switching of a plurality of optical path channels.

The purpose of the application is realized by adopting the following technical scheme:

an optical switch, comprising: each layer of collimator comprises a first collimator, a second collimator and a third collimator, wherein the first collimator and the third collimator are arranged oppositely, and the second collimator and the fourth collimator are arranged oppositely; the optical path switching element is provided with a corresponding stop position in each layer of collimator, the optical path switching element can be selectively positioned at the stop position of one layer of collimator, and when the optical path switching element is positioned at the stop position of the layer of collimator, the first collimator and the second collimator of the layer of collimator realize optical path coupling, and the third collimator and the fourth collimator realize optical path coupling; when the optical path switching element is not located at the stop position of the layer of collimator, the first collimator and the third collimator of the layer of collimator realize optical path coupling, and the second collimator and the fourth collimator realize optical path coupling.

Preferably, in each layer of collimator, an optical axis of the first collimator coincides with an optical axis of a third collimator, an optical axis of the second collimator coincides with an optical axis of a fourth collimator, the optical axis of the first collimator is parallel to the optical axis of the second collimator, and the optical axis of the third collimator is parallel to the optical axis of the fourth collimator; or, in each layer of collimator, the optical axis of the first collimator coincides with the optical axis of the third collimator, the optical axis of the second collimator coincides with the optical axis of the fourth collimator, the optical axis of the first collimator is perpendicular to the optical axis of the second collimator, and the optical axis of the third collimator is perpendicular to the optical axis of the fourth collimator.

Preferably, each layer of collimator further includes the fifth collimator to the eighth collimator, the fifth collimator is disposed opposite to the seventh collimator, and the sixth collimator is disposed opposite to the eighth collimator; when the optical path switching element is located at the stop position of the layer of collimator, the fifth collimator and the sixth collimator of the layer of collimator realize optical path coupling, and the seventh collimator and the eighth collimator realize optical path coupling; when the optical path switching element is not located at the stop position of the layer of collimator, the fifth collimator and the seventh collimator of the layer of collimator realize optical path coupling, and the sixth collimator and the eighth collimator realize optical path coupling.

Preferably, in each layer of collimator, an optical axis of the first collimator coincides with an optical axis of a third collimator, an optical axis of the second collimator coincides with an optical axis of a fourth collimator, an optical axis of the fifth collimator coincides with an optical axis of a seventh collimator, and an optical axis of the sixth collimator coincides with an optical axis of an eighth collimator; the optical axis of the first collimator is parallel to the optical axis of the second collimator, the optical axis of the third collimator is parallel to the optical axis of the fourth collimator, the optical axis of the fifth collimator is parallel to the optical axis of the sixth collimator, and the optical axis of the seventh collimator is parallel to the optical axis of the eighth collimator; the optical axis of the first collimator is vertical to the optical axis of the fifth collimator; the first collimator to the eighth collimator in the multi-layered collimator have the same arrangement.

Preferably, when the optical path switching element is located at the stop position of the layer of collimators, the optical path switching element is located between the first collimator and the third collimator, between the second collimator and the fourth collimator, between the fifth collimator and the seventh collimator, and between the sixth collimator and the eighth collimator of the layer of collimators.

Preferably, when the optical path switching element is located at the stop position of the layer of collimators, the first collimator and the third collimator are symmetrically arranged relative to the optical path switching element; the second collimator and the fourth collimator are symmetrically arranged relative to the optical path switching element; the fifth collimator and the seventh collimator are symmetrically arranged relative to the optical path switching element; the sixth collimator and the eighth collimator are symmetrically arranged with respect to the optical path switching element.

Preferably, the optical switch further includes a housing, the housing has an accommodating cavity and a first side wall and a third side wall opposite to each other, a second side wall opposite to each other and a fourth side wall, the first collimator and the second collimator are disposed at the mounting hole of the first side wall of the housing, the fifth collimator and the sixth collimator are disposed at the mounting hole of the second side wall of the housing, the third collimator and the fourth collimator are disposed at the mounting hole of the third side wall of the housing, the seventh collimator and the eighth collimator are disposed at the mounting hole of the fourth side wall of the housing, and the optical path switching element is disposed in the accommodating cavity of the housing in a liftable manner.

Preferably, when the optical path switching element is located at the stop position of the layer of collimator, after the light beam is subjected to one or two times of vertical total reflection, the first collimator and the second collimator of the layer of collimator realize optical path coupling, the third collimator and the fourth collimator realize optical path coupling, the fifth collimator and the sixth collimator realize optical path coupling, and the seventh collimator and the eighth collimator realize optical path coupling.

Preferably, the optical path switching element is a combined polygon mirror or a combined polygon mirror prism.

Preferably, the optical path switching element is a combined polygon mirror prism, and the optical switch further includes an optical path compensation element disposed on an upper surface and a lower surface in a moving direction of the optical path switching element and selectively located at a staying position of one of the layers of collimators, and light beams passing through when the optical path compensation element or the optical path switching element is located at the staying position of the one layer of collimators have the same equivalent optical path.

Preferably, the optical path length compensation element is a glass brick.

Preferably, the optical switch further comprises a lifting mechanism for driving the optical path switching element to selectively move to the stop position of one of the layers of collimators.

Preferably, the lifting mechanism includes a relay and a link, the optical path switching element is disposed on the link, and the relay drives one end of the link, at which the optical path switching element is disposed, to lift.

Preferably, the optical switch comprises two layers of collimators.

Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this application include at least:

the application provides an optical switch including multilayer collimator and optical path switching element can realize the switching of multilayer collimator's optical path passageway through optical path switching element, and above-mentioned optical switch has small in use, switches that the synchronization characteristic is good, switching speed is fast, the energy consumption is little and transmission loss is little beneficial effect.

Drawings

The present application is further described below with reference to the drawings and examples.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a single-layer structure of an optical switch provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a single layer structure of the optical switch of FIG. 1 in another operating state;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a single-layer structure of another optical switch provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a single layer structure of the optical switch of FIG. 3 in another operating state;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a two-layer structure of an optical switch provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a single-layer structure of another optical switch provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a single layer structure of the optical switch of FIG. 6 in another operating state;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a single-layer structure of another optical switch provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a single layer structure of the optical switch of FIG. 8 in another operating state;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of another optical switch provided in the embodiment of the present application.

The figure is as follows:

1. a multi-layer collimator; 11. a first collimator; 12. a second collimator; 13. a third collimator; 14. a fourth collimator; 15. a fifth collimator; 16. a sixth collimator; 17. a seventh collimator; 18. an eighth collimator; 2. an optical path switching element; 3. a housing; 31. an accommodating cavity; 4. a lifting mechanism; 41. a relay; 42. a connecting rod; 5. an optical path compensating element.

Detailed Description

The present application is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description, and it should be noted that, in the present application, the embodiments or technical features described below may be arbitrarily combined to form a new embodiment without conflict.

As shown in fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, an embodiment of the present application provides an optical switch including: a multilayer collimator 1 and an optical path switching element 2.

Each layer of collimator includes a first collimator 11 to a fourth collimator 14, in each layer of collimator, the first collimator 11 is disposed opposite to the third collimator 13, and the second collimator 12 is disposed opposite to the fourth collimator 14.

The optical path switching element 2 has a corresponding stop position in each layer of collimator, the optical path switching element 2 is selectively located at the stop position of one layer of collimator, when the optical path switching element 2 is located at the stop position of the layer of collimator, the first collimator 11 and the second collimator 12 of the layer of collimator realize optical path coupling, and the third collimator 13 and the fourth collimator 14 realize optical path coupling; when the optical path switching element 2 is not located at the stop position of the layer of collimators, the first collimator 11 and the third collimator 13 of the layer of collimators realize optical path coupling, and the second collimator 12 and the fourth collimator 14 realize optical path coupling.

Therefore, the switching of the optical path channels of the multilayer collimator 1 can be realized through the single optical path switching element 2, and the optical switch of the embodiment has a simple structure and is much smaller than other conventional optical switches which use stacking and cascading; because a plurality of optical switches are not required to be stacked and cascaded, the switching synchronization characteristic of each optical path channel is good, the switching speed is high, the energy consumption is low when the optical switches are used, and the transmission loss of light beams passing through the optical switches is low.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in some embodiments, it may be arranged that in each layer of collimator, the optical axis of the first collimator 11 coincides with the optical axis of the third collimator 13, the optical axis of the second collimator 12 coincides with the optical axis of the fourth collimator 14, the optical axis of the first collimator 11 is parallel to the optical axis of the second collimator 12, and the optical axis of the third collimator 13 is parallel to the optical axis of the fourth collimator 14. The optical axes of the collimators coincide, so that the loss of the light beams transmitted through the collimators is low; under the condition that the optical axes of the collimators are arranged in parallel, the optical path switching element 2 of the optical switch can adopt a multi-surface reflection optical element with a simple structure such as a multi-surface reflection mirror, and the like, so that the volume of the optical switch is further reduced.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, in each layer of collimator, the optical axis of the first collimator 11 coincides with the optical axis of the third collimator 13, the optical axis of the second collimator 12 coincides with the optical axis of the fourth collimator 14, the optical axis of the first collimator 11 is perpendicular to the optical axis of the second collimator 12, and the optical axis of the third collimator 13 is perpendicular to the optical axis of the fourth collimator 14. The optical axes of the collimators coincide, so that the loss of the light beams transmitted through the collimators is low; under the condition that the collimators are vertically arranged, the optical path switching element 2 of the optical switch can adopt a multi-surface reflection optical element with a simple structure, such as a double-surface reflection mirror, and the like, so that the volume of the optical switch is further reduced.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in a specific application, the current layer employs an optical switch of 2 × 2 collimators, in which a first collimator 11 and a third collimator 13 are disposed opposite to each other, and a second collimator 12 and a fourth collimator 14 are disposed opposite to each other. As shown in fig. 1, when the optical path switching element 2 is not located at the dwell position of the 2 × 2 collimator, optical path coupling of the first collimator 11 and the third collimator 13 may be achieved, so that the light beam passing through the first collimator 11 is transmitted into the third collimator 13; the optical paths of the second collimator 12 and the fourth collimator 14 are coupled such that the light beam passing through the fourth collimator 14 passes into the second collimator 12.

As shown in fig. 2, when the optical path switching element 2 is located at the position where the collimator is located, where the collimator is 2 × 2, after the light beam undergoes two vertical total reflections, the optical path coupling between the first collimator 11 and the second collimator 12 can be realized, so that the light beam passing through the first collimator 11 is transmitted into the second collimator 12; after the light beam is subjected to vertical total reflection twice, the light paths of the third collimator 13 and the fourth collimator 14 are coupled, so that the light beam passing through the fourth collimator 14 is transmitted into the third collimator 13. Similarly, since the optical path is reversible, the light beam may also be transmitted back to the first collimator 11 or the fourth collimator 14 through the second collimator 12, and transmitted back to the first collimator 11 or the fourth collimator 14 through the third collimator 13.

In one particular application, the current layer employs a 2-1 x 1 collimator optical switch, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, in which the first collimator 11 and the third collimator 13 are disposed opposite to each other, and the second collimator 12 and the fourth collimator 14 are disposed opposite to each other. As shown in fig. 3, when the optical path switching element 2 is not located at the stop position of the 2-1 × 1 collimator, the optical path coupling of the first collimator 11 and the third collimator 13 may be achieved, so that the light beam passing through the first collimator 11 is transmitted into the third collimator 13; the optical paths of the second collimator 12 and the fourth collimator 14 are coupled such that the light beam passing through the fourth collimator 14 passes into the second collimator 12.

As shown in fig. 4, when the optical path switching element 2 is located at the stop position of the 2-1 × 1 collimator, after the light beam undergoes a vertical total reflection, the optical path coupling between the first collimator 11 and the second collimator 12 can be realized, so that the light beam passing through the first collimator 11 is transmitted into the second collimator 12; after the light beam is subjected to one vertical total reflection, the light paths of the third collimator 13 and the fourth collimator 14 are coupled, so that the light beam passing through the fourth collimator 14 is transmitted into the third collimator 13. Similarly, since the optical path is reversible, the light beam may also be transmitted back to the first collimator 11 or the fourth collimator 14 through the second collimator 12, and transmitted back to the first collimator 11 or the fourth collimator 14 through the third collimator 13.

As shown in fig. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, in some embodiments, each of the layers of collimators in the multi-layer collimator 1 may further include the fifth collimator 15 to the eighth collimator 18, the fifth collimator 15 is disposed opposite to the seventh collimator 17, and the sixth collimator 16 is disposed opposite to the eighth collimator 18. When the optical path switching element 2 is located at the stop position of the layer of collimators, the fifth collimator 15 and the sixth collimator 16 of the layer of collimators realize optical path coupling, and the seventh collimator 17 and the eighth collimator 18 realize optical path coupling; when the optical path switching element 2 is not located at the stop position of the layer of collimators, the fifth collimator 15 and the seventh collimator 17 of the layer of collimators are optically coupled, and the sixth collimator 16 and the eighth collimator 18 of the layer of collimators are optically coupled. Thus, by arranging the fifth collimator 15 to the eighth collimator 18, more optical path channels can be controlled to be switched simultaneously without increasing the volume of the optical path switching element 2 and increasing the energy consumption.

Specifically, in each layer of collimator of the optical switch, the optical axis of the first collimator 11 coincides with the optical axis of the third collimator 13, the optical axis of the second collimator 12 coincides with the optical axis of the fourth collimator 14, the optical axis of the fifth collimator 15 coincides with the optical axis of the seventh collimator 17, and the optical axis of the sixth collimator 16 coincides with the optical axis of the eighth collimator 18. The optical axis of the first collimator 11 is parallel to the optical axis of the second collimator 12, the optical axis of the third collimator 13 is parallel to the optical axis of the fourth collimator 14, the optical axis of the fifth collimator 15 is parallel to the optical axis of the sixth collimator 16, and the optical axis of the seventh collimator 17 is parallel to the optical axis of the eighth collimator 18. The optical axis of the first collimator 11 is perpendicular to the optical axis of the fifth collimator 15. The first to eighth collimators 11 to 18 in the multi-layered collimator 1 have the same arrangement.

Therefore, the optical axes of the collimators coincide, so that the loss of the light beams transmitted through the collimators is low; under the condition that the collimators are arranged in parallel or vertically, the optical path switching element 2 of the optical switch can be a multi-surface reflection optical element with a simple structure, such as a multi-surface reflection mirror, and the like, so that the volume of the optical switch is further reduced.

Specifically, when the optical path switching element 2 is located at the stop position of the layer of collimators, the optical path switching element 2 may be located between the first collimator 11 and the third collimator 13, between the second collimator 12 and the fourth collimator 14, between the fifth collimator 15 and the seventh collimator 17, and between the sixth collimator 16 and the eighth collimator 18 of the layer of collimators. Thus, when the optical path switching element 2 is positioned between the collimators, the space of the optical switch is used well, and the volume of the optical switch can be reduced.

Specifically, when the optical path switching element 2 is located at the rest position of the layer of collimators, the first collimator 11 and the third collimator 13 may be symmetrically arranged with respect to the optical path switching element 2; the second collimator 12 and the fourth collimator 14 may be symmetrically disposed with respect to the optical path switching element 2; the fifth collimator 15 and the seventh collimator 17 may be symmetrically disposed with respect to the optical path switching element 2; the sixth collimator 16 and the eighth collimator 18 may be symmetrically disposed with respect to the optical path switching element 2. Thus, when the collimators are arranged symmetrically with respect to the optical path switching element 2, the optical path difference in which the optical switch switches a plurality of optical path channels simultaneously can be reduced.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 10, the optical switch may further include a housing 3, the housing 3 has a receiving cavity 31 and opposite first and third side walls, and opposite second and fourth side walls, the first collimator 11 and the second collimator 12 are disposed at a mounting hole of the first side wall of the housing 3, the fifth collimator 15 and the sixth collimator 16 are disposed at a mounting hole of the second side wall of the housing 3, the third collimator 13 and the fourth collimator 14 are disposed at a mounting hole of the third side wall of the housing 3, the seventh collimator 17 and the eighth collimator 18 are disposed at a mounting hole of the fourth side wall of the housing 3, and the optical path switching element 2 is disposed in the receiving cavity 31 of the housing 3 in a liftable manner.

Therefore, by arranging the housing 3 in the optical switch, the influence of the external environment on the optical devices inside the optical switch can be reduced, and the stability of the use of the optical switch can be improved.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, in a specific application, the current layer employs an optical switch of 2-2 × 2 collimators, in which the first collimator 11 and the third collimator 13 are disposed opposite to each other, the second collimator 12 and the fourth collimator 14 are disposed opposite to each other, the fifth collimator 15 and the seventh collimator 17 are disposed opposite to each other, and the sixth collimator 16 and the eighth collimator 18 are disposed opposite to each other. As shown in fig. 6, when the optical path switching element 2 is not located at the stop position of the 2-2 × 2 collimator, the optical path coupling of the first collimator 11 and the third collimator 13 may be achieved, so that the light beam passing through the first collimator 11 is transmitted into the third collimator 13; the optical paths of the second collimator 12 and the fourth collimator 14 are coupled, so that the light beam passing through the fourth collimator 14 is transmitted into the second collimator 12; the optical paths of the fifth collimator 15 and the seventh collimator 17 are coupled, so that the light beam passing through the seventh collimator 17 is transmitted into the fifth collimator 15; the optical paths of the sixth collimator 16 and the eighth collimator 18 are coupled such that the light beam passing through the sixth collimator 16 passes into the eighth collimator 18.

As shown in fig. 7, when the optical path switching element 2 is located at the stop position of the 2-2 × 2 collimator, after the light beam undergoes two vertical total reflections, the optical path coupling between the first collimator 11 and the second collimator 12 can be realized, so that the light beam passing through the first collimator 11 is transmitted into the second collimator 12; the optical paths of the third collimator 13 and the fourth collimator 14 are coupled, so that the light beam passing through the fourth collimator 14 is transmitted into the third collimator 13; the optical paths of the fifth collimator 15 and the sixth collimator 16 are coupled, so that the light beam passing through the sixth collimator 16 is transmitted into the fifth collimator 15; the optical paths of the seventh collimator 17 and the eighth collimator 18 are coupled such that the light beam passing through the seventh collimator 17 passes into the eighth collimator 18. Similarly, since the optical path is reversible, the light beam may also be transmitted back to the first collimator 11 or the fourth collimator 14 through the second collimator 12, to the first collimator 11 or the fourth collimator 14 through the third collimator 13, to the sixth collimator 16 or the seventh collimator 17 through the fifth collimator 15, and to the sixth collimator 16 or the seventh collimator 17 through the eighth collimator 18.

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, in a specific application, the current layer employs an optical switch of 2-2 × 2 collimators, in which the first collimator 11 and the third collimator 13 are disposed opposite to each other, the second collimator 12 and the fourth collimator 14 are disposed opposite to each other, the fifth collimator 15 and the seventh collimator 17 are disposed opposite to each other, and the sixth collimator 16 and the eighth collimator 18 are disposed opposite to each other. As shown in fig. 7, when the optical path switching element 2 is not located at the stop position of the 2-2 × 2 collimator, the optical path coupling of the first collimator 11 and the third collimator 13 may be achieved, so that the light beam passing through the first collimator 11 is transmitted into the third collimator 13; the optical paths of the second collimator 12 and the fourth collimator 14 are coupled, so that the light beam passing through the fourth collimator 14 is transmitted into the second collimator 12; the optical paths of the fifth collimator 15 and the seventh collimator 17 are coupled, so that the light beam passing through the seventh collimator 17 is transmitted into the fifth collimator 15; the optical paths of the sixth collimator 16 and the eighth collimator 18 are coupled such that the light beam passing through the sixth collimator 16 passes into the eighth collimator 18.

As shown in fig. 9, when the optical path switching element 2 is located at the stop position of the 2-2 × 2 collimator, after the light beam undergoes one vertical total reflection, the optical path coupling between the first collimator 11 and the second collimator 12 can be realized, so that the light beam passing through the first collimator 11 is transmitted into the second collimator 12; the optical paths of the third collimator 13 and the fourth collimator 14 are coupled, so that the light beam passing through the fourth collimator 14 is transmitted into the third collimator 13; the optical paths of the fifth collimator 15 and the sixth collimator 16 are coupled, so that the light beam passing through the sixth collimator 16 is transmitted into the fifth collimator 15; the optical paths of the seventh collimator 17 and the eighth collimator 18 are coupled such that the light beam passing through the seventh collimator 17 passes into the eighth collimator 18. Similarly, since the optical path is reversible, the light beam may also be transmitted back to the first collimator 11 or the fourth collimator 14 through the second collimator 12, to the first collimator 11 or the fourth collimator 14 through the third collimator 13, to the sixth collimator 16 or the seventh collimator 17 through the fifth collimator 15, and to the sixth collimator 16 or the seventh collimator 17 through the eighth collimator 18.

In some embodiments, the optical path switching element 2 may be a combined polygon mirror or a combined polygon prism. The optical path switching element 2 uses a combined multi-surface reflection mirror or a combined multi-surface reflection prism, and the switching of the optical path channels of a plurality of groups of collimators can be realized in the same layer of collimator through a plurality of surfaces of the optical path switching element 2.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 10, the optical path switching element 2 may be a combined polygon mirror, and the optical switch may further include an optical path compensation element 5, where the optical path compensation element 5 is disposed on an upper surface and a lower surface in a moving direction of the optical path switching element 2 and is selectively located at a staying position of one of the layers of collimators, that is, in the moving direction, the polygon mirror, the optical path switching element 2, and the polygon mirror are stacked together, and light beams passing when the optical path compensation element 5 or the optical path switching element 2 is located at the staying position of the one layer of collimators have the same equivalent optical path. When the optical path compensation element 5 and the optical path switching element 2 have the same size, the optical path compensation element 5 and the multi-surface reflecting prism have the same refractive index, so that the optical path of the input light beam does not change before and after the optical path switching element 2 moves. When the optical path compensation element 5 and the optical path switching element 2 are different in size, optical path compensation can be performed by using the optical path compensation element 5 having a refractive index different from that of the optical path switching element 2, and the optical path of the input light beam is not changed before and after the optical path switching element 2 is moved. The optical path length compensating element 5 may be a glass block, an optical plastic block, or the like having the same refractive index as the polygon mirror. Therefore, under the condition of matching with the optical path compensation structure, the optical path difference between the optical path channel of the optical switch before and after switching can be reduced. Preferably, the optical path length compensation element 5 is a glass brick. When the glass brick is used as an optical path compensation element, the optical path element has better transparency and uniformity, more stable chemical property and more accurate optical constant.

In a specific embodiment, as shown in fig. 10, the optical switch may further include a lifting mechanism 4, and the lifting mechanism 4 is configured to drive the optical path switching element 2 to selectively move to the stop position of one of the layers of collimators. The movement of the optical path switching element 2 between the multi-layered collimators 1 can be smoothly performed by the elevating mechanism 4.

Specifically, the elevating mechanism 4 may include a relay 41 and a link 42, the optical path switching element 2 is provided on the link 42, and the relay 41 drives an end of the link 42 where the optical path switching element 2 is provided to ascend and descend. The lifting mechanism 4 may be composed of an electromagnetically driven relay 41 and a link 42, or may be a driving structure using a pneumatic system or the like. One end of the link 42 for connecting the optical path switching element 2 may have an L-shaped structure, the optical path switching element 2 is flatly placed at one end of the link 42, and the link 42 is driven by controlling the on/off of the relay 41 to drive the optical path switching element 2 to move, which has the advantages of low cost, few faults and small occupied space.

In a specific embodiment, the optical switch comprises two layers of collimators. When the optical switch comprises two layers of collimators, the optical switch can realize the synchronous switching of the optical path channels of the two layers of collimators. In other embodiments of the present application, the optical switch may include three layers of collimators, five layers of collimators, and the like as required, for example, in the moving direction, the optical path switching element 2 may include a plurality of reflection prisms and a plurality of optical path switching elements 2, the reflection prisms and the optical path switching elements 2 are alternately stacked and disposed, so as to realize simultaneous switching of a plurality of optical path channels through a single optical path switching element 2, compared with the case where the optical path channels of a plurality of optical switches are simultaneously switched by stacking and cascading between a plurality of optical switches, the synchronization characteristic is good, the switching speed is fast, the energy consumption in use of the optical switch is small, and the light beam transmission loss through the optical switch is small.

The embodiment of the application provides an optical switch comprising a multilayer collimator 1 and an optical path switching element 2, and the optical path channel switching of the multilayer collimator 1 can be realized through the optical path switching element 2.

The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and the like in the description and in the claims of the present application and in the drawings described above, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It will be appreciated that the data so used may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments described herein may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not necessarily limited to those steps or elements expressly listed, but may include other steps or elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

The foregoing description and drawings are only for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application, which is, therefore, to the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present application.