Optical switch
US9693123B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 12, 2014 |
| Grant date | Jun 27, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 12, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04Q2011/0058
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An optical switch suitable for use in an add/drop of an optical network node having F>1 optical fiber per direction, the F fibers together carrying optical signals comprising up to N independent wavelength channels, is disclosed. The switch includes an Optical Cross-Connect (OXC) having F input ports and N output ports. F optical splitters are connected to the OXC, the input and output ports of the optical splitters defining ports of the OXC. The OXC is controllable to switch optical signals arriving at any of the F switch input ports to the input port of any of the F optical splitters such that each switch input port is switched to an optical splitter having at least as many splitter output ports as the number of independent wavelength channels received at the switch input port. A method for splitting optical signals is also disclosed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.