Abstract: An optical element 30 is inserted into a cover 40, and then the cover 40 is mounted onto a housing 10. At this moment, the upper ends of lateral contacts 20a and 20c, which are provided in the housing, enter lateral clearance slots 52a, which are provided in the cover, while the upper end of a central contact 20b enters a central clearance slot 53a. At the same time, the lateral leads 33a and 33c of the optical element are pressed down by a front bottom 52 of a groove, which is provided in the cover, into the slits 22 of the contacts 20a and 20c while the central lead 33b of the optical element is pressed down by a rear bottom 53 of the groove into the slit 22 of the contact 20b. In this construction of an optical connector, the leads are not bent, so they can be made relatively short. In this way, the axial length of the optical connector can be made relatively short to realize a miniaturization.

Abstract: Within a ferrule inserting hole 21 of a housing 2, a stop groove 23 is provided, while a taper portion 24 is formed as an insertion stopper. A ferrule 3 inserted and held in the housing 2 comprises a substantially cylindrical optical-fiber holding section 31, an optical-fiber crimping section 32 adapted to be crimped by means of a crimping tool for connecting electric wires or the like, and a latch 33 which expands within the stop groove 23 when positioned therein so as to prevent the ferrule 3 from dropping out. Accordingly, a crimping tool used for electric contacts in typical electric works can be used for crimping and attaching an optical fiber 4 to the ferrule 3. The ferrule 3 having the optical fiber 4 attached thereto can be firmly held by the housing 2 by simply inserting therein.

Abstract: An optical switch comprises a pair of optical interrupters 31 and 32, a shutter 41 and a switch knob 61. The optical interrupters are composed of light-emitting elements 11 and 12 and optical fibers 21 and 22. The optical fiber of each optical interrupter is positioned coaxial to the light path of the light-emitting element and faces the light-emitting element with a predetermined space. The shutter 41 has at least one slit 42 to allow light passage and is provided slidable perpendicularly across the light path of the optical interrupters, and the switch knob 61 slides the shutter 41. The optical switch is turned on or off through the operation of the switch knob 61 as the slit 42 of the shutter 41 is positioned in the light paths of the optical interrupters, allowing the light to pass through the slit, or as the barrier portion of the shutter 41 is positioned in the light paths of the optical interrupters, blocking the light.