Optical switch with adjustable optical loss
AssigneeCalient Networks, Inc.
InventorsJohn Edward Bowers, Shifu Yuan, Roger Helkey, Xuezhe Zheng, James R. Sechrist
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Abstract
An apparatus and method of controlling optical loss in an optical switch to equalize optical power or loss in a group of optical signals in an optical transmission system relatively insensitive to mechanical vibration. In one embodiment a group of optical signals is input into an optical switch and selected optical signals are variably attenuated using synchronized control to two mirrors in order to provide more uniform power distribution among the group of optical signals without enhancing vibration sensitivity of the optical switch.
Claims9
An optical switch apparatus to control loss in an optical network comprising:
- at least a first and a second plurality of movable mirrors for directing optical signals from an input of the optical switch to an output of the optical switch, wherein each optical beam is directed by one mirror of the first plurality and one mirror of the second plurality;
- at least one optical detector located in an optical path to determine the power of an optical beam;
- at least one actuator for each mirror to move the mirror in a certain position based on the determined power, wherein loss of power can be increased by moving the first and/or the second mirror away from the optimum angle for minimum loss.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.