Patent ID: 6965735

Claim:
A method for switching optical channels automatically and synchronously, comprising the steps of: providing a first switching device ( 10 ) and a second switching device ( 10 a ) respectively connected to a first optical terminal ( 20 ) and a second optical terminal ( 20 a ), wherein multiple optical channels are connected between the first switching device ( 10 ) and the second switching device ( 10 a ); detecting whether any optical signals are transmitting between the first switching device ( 10 ) and the second switching device ( 10 a ) over a first one of the multiple optical channels or not; locking one of the multiple optical channels when the optical signals are transmitting between the first switching device ( 10 ) and the second switching device ( 10 a ); and switching the first switching device ( 10 ) to a second one of the multiple optical channels when there is no optical signals transmission over the first one of the multiple optical channels, and then switching the second switching device ( 10 a ) to the second one of the multiple optical channels that the first switching device ( 10 ) switches to, whereby the first and the second switching devices ( 10 , 10 a ) are in communication, the switching step including the steps of: presetting a base period (T); detecting a number of the multiple optical channels (n) that are connected between the first switching device ( 10 ) and the second switching device ( 10 a ); establishing a master-slave relationship between the first and the second switching devices ( 10 , 10 a ), the first switching device ( 10 ) being set as a master switching device and the second switching device ( 10 a ) being set as a slave switching device; setting a first signal detecting and waiting time (t) of the master switching device, where the first signal detecting and waiting time (t) is n+1 times the base period (t=(n+1)×T); and setting a second signal detecting and waiting time (t′) of the slave switching device, where the second signal detecting and waiting time (t′) is equal to the base period (t′=T); whereby the master switching device ( 10 ) has an n+1 times longer period to wait for the slave switching device ( 10 a ) when the master switching device is switched to the second one of the multiple optical channels, thereby ensuring that the slave switching device ( 10 a ) has sufficient time to complete a seeking cycle among the multiple optical channels and to the second one of the multiple optical channels so as to communicate with the master switching device.