Patent ID: 7653306
Filing Date: 2010-01-26
Classification: H04J,H04Q

Abstract:
1. A non-blocking N port optical connection mesh node, N≧3, for providing a multiple wavelength channel signal with reciprocal bidirectional connectivity between the N node ports, each node port containing an apparatus having an input port and N−1 output ports and comprising either (1) a coupler having an input connected to said input port and having N−1 outputs, (2) a transmissive 1×(N−1)WSS having an input connected to said input port and responsive to a control signal C for establishing a switching connection to one of its N−1 outputs, or (3) a coupler having an input connected to said input port and having X+1 outputs including one output connected to an input of a transmissive 1×Y WSS having Y outputs, where X+Y equals N−1, the sum of the remaining X outputs of the coupler and the Y outputs of the transmissive 1×Y WSS being the N−1 output ports of the node port apparatus and wherein, the node port apparatus provides a total of N−1 output ports and where each of the N−1 output ports from each node port apparatus is connected to a different output port of each of the other N−1 node port apparatuses such that a connection made from one input port of a node port apparatus to an input port of a different node port apparatus always passes through only one WSS and at least one coupler, the connection being established in response to a control signal applied to said one WSS, wherein N is an even number, one node includes only a 1×(N−1) coupler and each of the other N−1 node port apparatuses includes the same sized coupler and each of the other N−1 node port apparatuses includes the same sized transmissive 1×K i WSS.