Patent ID: 6937822

Claim:
An optical switch for an optical network using wavelength division multiplexing, said switch having a multigranularity architecture and said switch comprising: p 1 input ports receiving p 1 respective wavelengths, p 2 output ports, and first switching means for switching the wavelengths received at said p 1 input ports selectively to said p 2 output ports, q 1 input ports receiving q 1 respective bands of wavelengths, q 2 output ports, and second switching means for switching the bands of wavelengths received at said q 1 input ports selectively to said q 2 output ports, and wherein said second switching means is dedicated to switching the bands of the wavelengths without proceeding to a spatial separation of the wavelengths which constitute the bands, and r 1 input ports receiving r 1 respective groups of bands, r 2 output ports, and third switching means for switching the groups of bands received at said r 1 input ports selectively to said r 2 output ports, and wherein said third switching means is dedicated to switching the groups of bands without proceeding to a spatial separation of either of the bands or of the wavelengths which constitute the groups of bands, wherein said switch further comprises at least two of said first, second and third switching means, which comprise a single switching matrix able to couple any of said p 1 +q 1 +r 1 input ports to any of said p 2 +q 2 +r 2 output ports.