An optical switch for use as a modular keyboard switch designed to provide tactile and audible feedback to the keyboard operator. The switch includes an opaque housing in which a light emitting device and a light activated detector are mounted. A "U" shaped spring shutter rests within the housing between the emitter and detector and has an aperture through which light from the emitter may illuminate the detector. A spring loaded key stem moves longitudinally within the housing and is designed to penetrate the open end of the shutter. The key stem and shutter are shaped such that as the key stem is depressed the upwardly extending arms of the shutter are at first forced outward by projecting shoulders on the key stem and then snap back along upwardly sloping surfaces of the shoulder, thereby causing the shutter to spring upwards and block the optical path between the emitter and detector. The snap action of the shutter causes an audible "click" and also provides tactile feedback to the operator.

A snap acting fiber optic switch in which a carrier operates between two stop surfaces separated by a wedge shaped gap. A planar shutter perpendicular to the stop surfaces extends from an end of the carrier at the wide end of the wedge shaped gap into a gap between opposing end faces of a pair of optical fibers aligned with an axis perpendicular to the plane of the shutter. A plunger actuated over center snap acting mechanism biases the carrier toward one or the other of the stop surfaces, depending on the position of the plunger.

A keyboard having a key-holder plate for movably supporting multiple keys of substantially the same shape and size in plural parallel rows, multiple switches disposed so as to correspond to the multiple keys and provide electrical outputs upon depression of the keys at their top faces, an upper casing having an aperture which accommodates upper portions of the keys and allows the keys to be operated, and a lower casing cooperating with the upper casing to enclose the multiple switches. The upper casing and said key-holder plate are integrally molded of a synthetic resin, and the key holder plate includes multiple guide portions which have guide holes for slidably guiding the corresponding keys between their non-operated and operated positions. The guide portions have stopper parts which determine the non-operated positions of the keys. The stopper parts are disposed along a curved reference surface which is slightly curved downwardly in a direction perpendicular to the plural parallel rows of the keys, so that an operating surface of the keys which is generally defined by the top faces is downwardly curved following a curvature of the curved reference surface.

An optical fibre cable switch is provided in which opposed cable end faces are precisely aligned coaxially while permitting standard optical fibre cable bushings to be used. An alignment member is first positioned within the central opening of the bushings. The aligned bushings are then cemented or glued to the switch housing while being held in alignment by the alignment member. The alignment member is then removed so that standard cable terminating ferrules may be inserted into the aligned bushings.

This invention provides an optical micro-switch, and a method of mass-producing such optical micro-switches. The optical micro-switch comprises a first housing half containing electronic circuitry which generates light and a second housing half containing electronic circuitry which senses light, the electronic circuitry is separated by a plunger with an aperture and a slide with two apertures. The plunger and slide are positioned in the light transmission path between the light-emitting circuitry and the light sensing circuitry. The optical micro-switch has an input prong, output prong, and a ground prong. The slide can be moved into either of two different positions which configures the switch as a normally open switch or a normally closed switch. In mass-producing these optical micro-switches, a continuous tape lead frame is provided. This continuous tape lead frame contains duplicate sets of frame portions for the first housing half and a second housing half of each optical micro-switch produced. The housing halves are molded around their respective frame portions, and the components of the optical micro-switch are assembled into the housing halves. The lead frame is folded to engage the housing halves and seal the components therein, completing the manufacture of the optical micro-switch.