Patent ID: 7139452

Claim:
An optical communication system, comprising: a plurality of fiber optic conductors, each of said plurality of fiber optic conductors having a first end and a second end, and an optical communication path defined between said first and second ends thereof, said first ends of said plurality of fiber optic conductors being separated into at least a first group and a second group; a first optical communication module having a plurality of optoelectronic devices thereon, said plurality of optoelectronic devices being configured into at least a first array and a second array, wherein said first end of each of said fiber optic conductors in said first group is coupled to one of each of said plurality of optoelectronic devices in said first array and said first end of each of said fiber optic conductors in said second group is coupled to one of each of said plurality of optoelectronic devices in said second array; and a control device in communication with each of said optoelectronic devices in said first and second arrays of optoelectronic devices, said control device capable of controlling each of said optoelectronic devices separately and independently relative to one another whereby each optoelectronic device and its associated fiber optic conductor forms an individual signal independent optical communication path.