Patent ID: 7734127

Claim:
An optical switch module for cross connecting optical fibers in a first set of optical fibers to optical fibers in a second set of fibers, said optical switch module comprising: A) a first fiber-microlens positioning array for precisely positioning optical fibers in said first set of optical fibers in a first fiber-microlens array pattern and a second fiber-microlens positioning array for precisely positioning optical fibers in said second set of optical fibers in a second fiber-microlens array pattern, B) a first MEMS mirror array comprising an array of MEMS mirrors arrayed in a first MEMS mirror pattern corresponding to said first fiber-microlens array pattern and positioned to reflect communication light beams to and/or from optical fibers arrayed in said first fiber-microlens positioning array and a second MEMS mirror array comprising an array of MEMS mirrors arrayed in a second MEMS mirror pattern corresponding to said second fiber-microlens array pattern and positioned to reflect communication light beams to and/or from optical fibers arrayed in said second fiber-microlens positioning array, C) a first alignment beam unit for providing an alignment beam for each communication beams between said first fiber-microlens array and said first MEMS array and co-aligning said alignment beams with the communication light beams, defining a first set of alignment beams, and a second alignment beam unit for providing an alignment beam for each communication beams between said second fiber-microlens array and said second MEMS array and co-aligning said alignment beams with the communication light beams, defining a second set of alignment beams, D) a dichroic mirror positioned and adapted to reflect communication beams from said first MEMS array to said second MEMS array and/or to reflect communication beams from said second MEMS array to said first MEMS array and to transmit said first and second set of alignment beams, E) a first beam direction sensor positioned and adapted to sense directions of each alignment beam in said first set of alignment beams transmitted through said dichroic mirror and a second beam direction sensor positioned and adapted to sense directions of each alignment beam in said second set of alignment beams transmitted through said dichroic mirror, and F) a MEMS control system for controlling positions of each mirror in said first and second MEMS mirror arrays in order to provide optical connections between each of the mirrors is said first set of optical fibers and any fiber in said second set of optical fibers and/or to provide optical connections between each of the mirrors is said second set of optical fibers and any fiber in said first set of optical fibers.