Patent ID: 7194205

Claim:
An optical cross-connect equipment for connecting transmission paths for optical signals, comprising: a plural number of first transmission apparatuses, being provided corresponding to a plural number of first optical signal transmission paths, one by one, for receiving optical signals from said first optical signal transmission paths corresponding thereto; a plural number of second transmission apparatuses, being provided corresponding to a plural number of second optical signal transmission paths, one by one, for transmitting optical signals to said second optical signal transmission paths corresponding thereto; and an optical circuit being able to transmit the optical signals output from said first transmission apparatuses to an arbitrary one of said second transmission apparatuses, wherein each of said first transmission apparatuses, comprises: a first wavelength demultiplexer for dividing the optical signal received from said first optical signal transmission path into an optical signal of a first wavelength and other optical signals having wavelengths other than that, thereby providing the optical signals of the wavelengths other than said first wavelength as an output to said optical circuit; and a receiver for converting said optical signal of said first wavelength, which is separated from within said first wavelength demultiplexer, into an electric signal; a controller for receiving and processing the electric signals converted within said receivers, thereby outputting said processed electric signals; wherein each of said second transmission apparatuses, comprises: a first light source for outputting an optical signal of said first wavelength; a first wavelength multiplexer for multiplexing the optical signals having the wavelengths other than said first wavelength, which are output from said optical circuit, and the optical signal of said first wavelength, which is transmitted from said first light source; a first optical amplifier for amplifying and outputting the optical signal from said optical circuit to said first wavelength multiplexer, and an optical separation means for receiving the optical signal from said first light source, thereby outputting a part of said light signal received to said optical amplifier while outputting reaming thereof to said first wavelength multiplexer, wherein said first light source, receiving the electric signal output from said controller, converts the electric signal received into the optical signal of said first wavelength to be outputted therefrom.