Patent ID: 6950215

Claim:
An optical switching apparatus, comprising: a plurality of optical input switches; a plurality of optical output switches; a plurality of central optical switches connected between the plurality of input switches and plurality of output switches; a plurality of test light sources, where each test light source is connected to an optical input switch; a first plurality of optical detectors connected to the optical output switches; and a controller connected to each of the plurality of optical input switches, the plurality of optical output switches, the plurality of central optical switches, the plurality of test light sources, and the first plurality of optical detectors, and wherein at least one of the plurality of central optical switches is an active optical switch and at least one of the plurality of central optical switches is a protection optical switch which acts as a back up for the active optical switch, wherein the controller determines if one of the plurality of central optical switches is malfunctioning, by simultaneously using input signals, which are not generated by the test light sources, to test the active optical switch and the test light sources to test the protection optical switch.