Optical switching system and optical switching method

• Main Author: SATO AKINOBU
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 27.03.2003
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; SELECTING; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF; TRANSMISSION

An optical switching system comprises a first space division type optical switch positioned at an input side which performs switching on an optical fiber by fiber basis, a second space division type optical switch positioned at an output side which performs switching on an optical fiber by optical basis, and a wavelength division type optical switch which receives a wavelength-multiplexed signal through an optical fiber, performs wavelength division, switching on a wavelength by wavelength basis, and wavelength multiplexing, and outputs a wavelength-multiplexed signal through an optical fiber. Some of optical fibers output from the first space division type optical switch are directly led to the second space division type optical switch, and the rest of the optical fibers output therefrom are led to the wavelength division type optical switch. Optical fibers output from the wavelength division type optical switch are led to the second space division type optical switch.