Patent ID: 6965720
Filing Date: 2005-11-15
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. A fiber optic apparatus for switching electrical loads comprised of: a switching box; an electronic adaptor; a fiber optic cable connecting said switching box to said electronic adaptor; said switching box consists of: an external enclosure with a hand-activated actuator on a front panel and a fitting for mechanical connection of said fiber optic cable to said external enclosure; an internal enclosure mount to a front panel of said external enclosure, and having an optical switching module and an optical connector, said optical switching module consists of a fiber aligning unit, a movable shutter with a filtering means attached to the fiber aligning unit; said shutter is mechanically connected to said hand-activated actuator; said filtering means can move aside a narrow gap in said fiber aligning unit; said fiber aligning unit includes illuminating and detecting fibers coaxially aligned and displayed from each other at a distance of said narrow gap; said electronic adaptor includes: light emitting means optically coupled with said illuminating fiber; photodetecting means optically coupled with said detecting fiber; signal processing means that includes amplification means and a microcontroller; electrical switching means connected to said microcontroller for switching electrical loads, said fiber optic cable is comprised of fiber optic extensions for said illuminating and detecting fibers with fiber optic connectors for connecting said optical fibers to said switching box and electronic adaptor.