Patent ID: 7146069

Claim:
A system for providing selectable delay, comprising: a first optical switch comprising: an input side; an output side; a plurality of movable microelectromechanical system (MEMS) mirrors; a second optical switch comprising: an input side; an output side; a plurality of movable microelectromechanical system (MEMS) mirrors; a plurality of input fiberoptic lines coupled to the input side of the first optical switch; a plurality of output fiberoptic lines coupled to the output side of the second optical switch; a plurality of switch-coupling fiberoptic lines coupled between the output side of the first optical switch and the input side of the second optical switch; a plurality of first fiberoptic delay lines with respective first ends coupled to the output side of the first optical switch and respective second ends coupled to the input side of the first optical switch; a plurality of second fiberoptic delay lines with respective first ends coupled to the output side of the second optical switch and respective second ends coupled to the input side of the second optical switch; a plurality of third fiberoptic delay lines with respective first ends coupled to the output side of the second optical switch and respective second ends coupled to the input side of the first optical switch; control circuitry to select delay by controlling the plurality of movable MEMS mirrors of the first and second optical switches to direct optical signals from the plurality of input fiberoptic lines through the plurality of movable MEMS mirrors of the first optical switch, the plurality of first fiberoptic delay lines, the plurality of switch-coupling fiberoptic lines, the plurality of movable MEMS mirrors of the second optical switch, the plurality of second fiberoptic delay lines, and the plurality of third fiberoptic delay lines along selectable paths having respective measurable differences in delay for the respective optical signals before the optical signals reach the plurality of output fiberoptic lines.