Patent ID: 8457496

Claim:
An optical signal switching device, comprising: a plurality of broadcast couplers, each one comprising an input capable of receiving an incoming wavelength division multiplexed optical signal and a plurality of outputs to distribute said incoming wavelength division multiplexed optical signal, a plurality of wavelength selective modules, each one comprising a plurality of inputs for receiving wavelength channels and an output for transmitting an outgoing wavelength division multiplexed optical signal selectively obtained from the wavelength channels received at said plurality of inputs, and an optical connection means that comprises at least one optical spatial switching matrix that has a respective input connected to each output of said broadcast couplers and outputs connected to one or more wavelength selective modules, said optical connection means being configured to link a plurality of routing outputs chosen from among said pluralities of broadcast couplers' outputs to a plurality of routing inputs chosen from among said pluralities of inputs of said wavelength selective modules to route said incoming wavelength division multiplexed optical signals received by said broadcast couplers to said wavelength selective modules, wherein said wavelength selective modules are arranged into a plurality of groups, at least one of said groups comprising multiple said wavelength selective modules, the wavelength selective modules of one group each being configured to connect at their output to a common neighboring node, said optical connection means being configured to enable, for each of said broadcast couplers, the broadcasting of the incoming wavelength division multiplexed optical signal received by said broadcast couplers to at least one wavelength selective module of each group simultaneously.