Electro-optical switching system

摘要

An electro-optical switching system includes a plurality of visually activated switches, one for each one of a plurality of different electronic apparatus, each including electromagnetic radiation sensors having a detection surface and each controlling the application of electrical power to the respective equipment in response to an impinging electromagnetic beam incident at the detection surface for a determined time interval. A pulsed electromagnetic beam is provided by a transmitter included within an electromagnetic activating source held, or disposed on a portion of the anatomy of, a human operator who aligns the beam with the detection surface on the selected one of the switches with the aid of a visual reticle image provided by a reticle generator included in the activating source and boresighted with the transmitter. The system further includes a control unit responsive to each of the radiation sensors for discriminating between the pulsed electromagnetic beam energy and the ambient energy background, and for providing actuating signals to the respective equipment in response to the presence of incident pulsed electromagnetic energy at the associated visually activated switch detection surface for a determined time interval in the absence of incident pulsed electromagnetic energy at each of the other switches within the same time interval, the control unit providing actuation of the various selected equipment, sequentially, one at a time.