Patent ID: 6798938
Filing Date: 2004-09-28
Classification: G02B,G02F,H04Q

Abstract:
A method of MÃ—N optical routing matrix switching, where M=2m, N=2n, m, n=0,1,2, . . . comprising:converting M divergent signal beams into M collimated signal beams; converting said M collimated signal beams into linear polarization signal beams; transmitting said linear polarization signal beams through a plurality of routing parallel optical channels; constructing MÃ—N parallel transmission optical channels from the M transmitted signal beams in a first direction and N parallel optical channels in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the M transmitted signal beams comprise M elements E1, E2, E3, . . . , EM, and N parallel optical channels comprise N elements E1, E2, E3, . . . , EN, and wherein MÃ—N parallel transmission optical channels comprise MÃ—N elements Ei1, Ei2, Ei3, . . . , EiN, where i=1, 2, . . . , M; selecting a plurality of elements from the MÃ—N elements E1j, E2j, E3j, . . . , EMj, for the same j, where j=1, 2, . . . , N; combining the selected elements for each group of elements having the same j into N parallel output channels in the second direction; for a unidirectional matrix switching device, coupling directly signal beams transmitted in the N parallel output channels into N output fibers; for a bidirectional matrix switching device, reverting N linear polarization beams output from the N parallel output channels into N random polarization signal beams; and coupling the N random polarization signal beams into N output fibers in parallel.