Patent ID: 7272312
Filing Date: 2007-09-18
Classification: H04Q

Abstract:
1. An optical router for selecting optical paths for optical signals transmitting through an optical transmission line disposed on an optical node basis, outputting said optical signals, and thereby forming an optical communications network, said optical router comprising: optical delay means for delaying a plurality of said optical signals containing routing information added to header parts thereof; an optical switch provided with a plurality of input ports to which a plurality of optical outputs are input from said optical delay means and a plurality of output ports for outputting said optical signals; optical-electrical conversion means for converting a plurality of said optical signals to electrical signals; memory wherein path control information is stored; and a controller for finding said path control information according to said routing information extracted from an output of said optical-electrical conversion means, determining the destinations of said optical signals based on output requests therefrom, and selecting and assigning one input port in sequence from a single or plural input ports having output requests to a plurality of said output ports according to results of sorting a plurality of said output ports in ascending order of the number of output requests from said input ports.