MY137451A - Method and apparatus for switching optical signals having differing transmission formats - Google Patents

Abstract

AN OPTICAL SWITCHING APPARATUS FOR SWITCHING WDM OPTICAL SIGNALS INCLUDING SIGNALS HAVING AT LEAST TWO TRANSMISSION FORMATS. THE APPARATUS INCLUDES A PLURALITY OF INPUT PORTS OPERABLE TO RECEIVE INPUT OPTICAL SIGNALS CARRIED ON A PLURALITY OF OPTICAL WAVELENGTHS, WHEREIN EACH OF SAID OPTICAL WAVELENGTHS CARRIES OPTICAL SIGNALS HAVING A PREDETERMINED TRANSMISSION FORMAT. THE INPUT OPTICAL SIGNALS RECEIVED AT EACH INPUT PORT AT LEAST INCLUDE ONE OR MORE SIGNALS HAVING A FIRST TRANSMISSION FORMAT AND ONE OR MORE SIGNALS HAVING A SECOND TRANSMISSION FORMAT. THE APPARATUS FURTHER INCLUDES A PLURALITY OF OPTICAL SWITCHING MATRICES, EACH MATRIX HAVING A PLURALITY OF SWITCH INPUTS AND SWITCH OUTPUTS AND BEING CONFIGURED TO DIRECT OPTICAL SIGNALS FROM EACH ONE OF SAID SWITCH INPUTS TO AT LEAST A SELECTED ONE OF SAID SWITCH OUPUTS. THE SWITCHING MATRICES AT LEAST INCLUDE ONE OR MORE SWITCHING MATRICES CONFIGURED TO SWITCH OPTICAL SIGNALS HAVING SAID FIRST TRANSMISSION FORMAT,AND ONE OR MORE SWITCHING MATRICES CONFIGURED TO SWITCH OPTICAL SIGNALS HAVING SAID SECOND TRANSMISSION FORMAT. THE INPUT PORTS OF THE APPARATUS ARE COUPLED TO THE SWITCH INPUT THROUGH A PLURALITY OF WAVELENGTH DEMULTIPLEXERS ARRANGED SUCH THAT EACH RECEIVED OPTICAL SIGNAL IS DIRECTED TO AN INPUT OF A SWITCHING MATRIX CONFIGURED TO SWITCH OPTICAL SIGNALS HAVING A TRANSMISSION FORMAT CORRESPONDING WITH THAT OF THE RECEIVED OPTICAL SIGNALS. THE OPTICAL SWITCHING APPARATUS IS THEREBY ABLE TO MITIGATE KNOWN PROBLEMS IN THE PRIOR ART WHEREBY SIGNALS WITHIN AN OPTICAL NETWORK ARECONSTRAINED TO ALL USE A COMMON TRANSMISSION FORMAT. AN OPTICAL NETWORK INCLUDING THE APPARATUS, AS WELL AS METHODS OF SWITCHING WDM OPTICAL SIGNALS AND OF ROUTING WDM OPTICAL SIGNALS WITHIN AN OPTICAL NETWORK ARE ALSO PROVIDED.@FIGURE 1