Patent ID: 7110636

Claim:
An optical device control apparatus for controlling an optical device including a mirror in which light emitted from an input optical waveguide is reflected by an inclinable reflecting surface so as to be made incident on an output optical waveguide, and a mirror driving part for adjusting an inclination of the reflecting surface of the mirror; the apparatus comprising: a light-branching part for taking out a part of the light propagating through the output optical waveguide after being made incident thereon; a light-detecting part for detecting an intensity of the light taken out by the light-branching part and outputting an electric signal having a value corresponding to thus detected intensity of light; and a control part for ordering the mirror driving part to vibrate a normal direction of the reflecting surface of the mirror at a predetermined frequency about a predetermined direction, detecting a component of the predetermined frequency in the electric signal outputted from the light-detecting part, and determining whether or not there is optical coupling from the input optical waveguide to the output optical waveguide or an extent thereof according to the result of the detection, wherein the optical device comprises a plurality of input optical waveguides; and wherein the control part orders the mirror driving part to vibrate the normal direction of the reflecting surface of the mirror at respective frequencies different from each other for the input optical waveguides.