Optical switch and switching module therefor

US5303077A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Standard Elektrik Lorenz AG · DE

Inventors

• Dietrich Bottle · Salach, DE
• Gert Eilenberger · Stuttgart, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 13, 1992
• Grant date: Apr 12, 1994
• Expiry date: Mar 13, 2012

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04Q11/0066
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A switching device for being connected to switch optical input signals received on a plurality of optical input signal lines into optical output signals on a plurality of optical output signal lines; each device has a time slot interchanger or a wavelength converter in combination with a space-division switching stage for freely exchanging signals on different lines, wherein, according to the invention, such a switching device has multiple stages, including both a time slot interchanger stage and a wavelength converter stage in combination with two space-division switching stages and wherein between every two of the space-division switching stages a time slot interchanging or wavelength converting stage is inserted; the time slot interchanger stages may alternate with wavelength converter stages with a space-division switching network stage in between.; the stages may be combined, such as space-division switching stages and time-slot-interchanging or wavelength-converting stages forming a single functional unit. The apparatus may comprise a module for use in a system having a plurality of such modules.