Abstract: An optical switch system used in a monitoring system for monitoring a large-scale optical transmission including a multiplicity of optical fibers, or like systems for switching optical transmission paths. The optical switch system comprises first and second optical switches. The first optical switch serves to optically connect one end face of a single first optical fiber selectively to one end face of any one of n second optical fibers. The second optical switch serves to optically connect end faces of n third optical fibers collectively and substantially synchronously to end faces of fourth optical fibers of a desired bundle selected from a plurality of optical fiber bundles each composed of substantially n optical fibers, the third optical fibers being optically connected at other end faces to other end faces of the second optical fibers.

Abstract: A cable core self-aligning apparatus comprises core feeding means for holding a plurality of cores, drawn out of an end of a cable, in a line and sequentially feeding the cores; rotational conveyor means having a conveying rotor for holding and rotationally conveying each of the cores to a core extracting position; and core identifying means for identifying the number of each core while that core is being conveyed to the core extracting position by the rotational conveyor means.