US 7,003,191 B2 · Optical switch

Abstract

An optical switch is provided in which the difference of the optical loss due to the difference of optical path can be reduced. The optical switch comprises the first switching parts 2A–2D and the second switching parts 3A–3D. The first switching parts 2A–2D each comprise: a planar waveguide device 4 in which four coupling optical waveguides 5a–5d and an input optical waveguide 6 are provided; and reflection mirrors 8a–8d for reflecting a light signal incident from the input optical waveguide 6 to the respective coupling optical waveguides 5a–5d, respectively. The second switching parts 3A–3D each comprise: a planar waveguide device 9 in which coupling optical waveguides 10a–10d and an output optical waveguide 11 are provided; and reflection mirrors 13a–13d for reflecting a light signal incident from the respective coupling optical waveguides 10a–10d to the output optical waveguide 11. The optical switch is provided with 16 optical fibers 20 for connecting the coupling optical waveguides 5a–5d of the first switching parts 2A–2D to the different second coupling optical waveguides 10a–10d of the second switching parts 3A–3D, respectively.

Claims5

Dependent claims

An optical switch provided with N number of input ports and N number of output ports (herein “N” is a plural number), comprising:

N number of first switching parts each having one input port of the N number of input ports and N number of first coupling ports;
N number of second switching parts each having one output port of the N number of output ports, N number of second coupling ports;
and
N×N number of optical fibers connecting the first coupling ports and the second coupling ports, wherein
P1i each of half the number or more of first coupling ports the N×N first coupling ports are connected with second coupling ports P2(N+1−i), where P1i is a first coupling port corresponding to an optical path which comes in the “i”th shortest one in terms of the optical path length between the input port and one of the first coupling ports in each first switching part, and P2j is a second coupling port corresponding to the “j”th shortest one in terms of the optical path length between the output port and one of the second coupling ports in each second switching part, wherein the optical path length from the input port to the output port in the respective N×N number of optical paths is substantially the same.

2 more elements

An optical switch provided with N number of input ports and N number of output ports (herein “N” is a plural number), comprising:

N number of first switching parts each having one input port of the N number of input ports, N number of first coupling ports, and a plurality of optical path switching elements;
N number of second switching parts each having one output port of the N number of output ports, N number of second coupling ports, and a plurality of optical path switching elements;
and
N×N number of optical fibers connecting the first coupling ports and the second coupling ports,
wherein the differences between the maximum and the minimum in terms of the number of the optical path switching elements through which light passes in N×N number optical paths from the input port to the output port are equal to or less than 4, wherein each of the first switching parts comprises:
a first planar waveguide device having N number of first coupling optical waveguides and an input optical waveguide, each of the first coupling optical waveguides including a first coupling port, and the input optical waveguide including the input port and being formed so as to cross the first coupling optical waveguides;
N number of first reflection mirrors for reflecting an incident light signal from the input optical waveguide to the respective first coupling optical waveguides, the first reflection mirrors being inserted respectively in trenches formed at the cross-points of the first coupling optical waveguides and the input optical waveguide;
and first actuators driving the respective first reflection mirrors;
and
each of the second switching parts comprises:
a second planar waveguide device having N number of second coupling optical waveguides and an output optical waveguide, each of the second coupling optical waveguides including a second coupling port, and the output optical waveguide including the output port and being formed so as to cross the second coupling optical waveguides;
N number of second reflection mirrors for reflecting an incident light signal from the second coupling optical waveguides toward the output optical waveguide, the second reflection mirrors being inserted respectively in trenches formed at the cross-points of the second coupling optical waveguides and the output optical waveguide;
and
second actuators driving the respective second reflection mirrors.

11 more elements

An optical switch provided with N number of input ports and N number of output ports (herein “N” is a plural number), comprising:

N number of first switching parts each having one input port of the N number of input ports and N number of first coupling ports;
N number of second switching parts each having one output port of the N number of output ports, N number of second coupling ports;
and
N×N number of optical fibers connecting the first coupling ports and the second coupling ports, wherein
P1i each of half the number or more of first coupling ports of the N×N first coupling ports are connected with second coupling ports P2(N+1−i), where P1i is a first coupling port corresponding to an optical path which comes in the “I”th shortest one in terms of the optical path length between the input port and one of the first coupling ports in each first switching part, and P2j is a second coupling port corresponding to the “j”th shortest one in terms of the optical path length between the output port and one of the second coupling ports in each second switching part,
wherein each of the first switching parts comprises:
a first planar wave guide device having N number of first coupling optical wageguides and an input optical waveguide, each of the first coupling optical waveguides including a first coupling port, and the input optical waveguide including the input port and being formed so as to cross the first coupling optical waveguides;
N number of first reflection mirrors for reflecting an incident light signal from the input optical waveguide to the respective first coupling optical waveguides, the first reflection mirrors being inserted respectively in trenches formed at the cross-points of the first coupling optical waveguide and the input optical waveguide;
and first actuators driving the respective first reflection mirrors;
and
each of the second switching parts comprises:
a second planar waveguide device having N number of second coupling optical waveguides and an output optical waveguide, each of the second coupling optical waveguides including a second coupling port, and the output optical waveguide including the output port and being formed so as to cross the second coupling optical waveguides;
N number of second reflection mirrors for reflecting an incident light signal from the second coupling optical waveguides toward the output optical waveguide, the second reflection mirrors being inserted respectively in trenches formed at the cross-points of the second coupling optical waveguides and the output optical waveguide;
and
second actuators driving the respective second reflection mirrors.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Optical switch

Life of this patent

Optical switch

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims5