Patent ID: 8315490
Filing Date: 2012-11-20
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. An optical apparatus for switching multi-channel optical signals having spectral channels of different wavelengths, comprising: an M×N array of ports for optical signals having one or more of said spectral channels, wherein M is a number of columns and N is a number of rows of the array; a wavelength separator optically coupled to the array of ports, wherein the wavelength separator is configured to spatially separate a spectral beam from one of the ports in the array into one or more constituent spectral channels; an array of channel beam deflecting elements optically coupled to the wavelength separator, the array of channel beam deflecting elements including a plurality of channel beam deflecting elements, wherein each channel beam deflecting element is positioned to receive a corresponding one of the constituent spectral channels, wherein each beam deflecting elements is configured to tilt about two non-parallel axes to move the corresponding spectral channel across the port array; and wherein array of ports is configured such that there is a gap within each column of ports located between two rows of ports, wherein the gap is wide enough to permit a hitless beam switching trajectory to pass between the two rows of ports from one side of the array of ports to an opposite side, wherein the array of ports is configured such that each column contains four or more adjacent rows without a gap wide enough to permit a hitless beam switching trajectory to pass between two rows of the four or more adjacent rows.