Patent ID: 7194207

Claim:
A wide-sense, non-blocking wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) cross-connect device, the device comprising: a first fabric being adapted to receive a first number of input fibers at an input side of said first fabric, wherein at least one of said input fibers is capable of carrying at least two signals having different wavelengths; a second fabric being adapted to output signals onto first number of output fibers at an output side of said second fabric, and wherein at least one of said output fibers is capable of carrying at least two signals having different wavelengths; a third fabric being adapted to be optically coupled on an input side of said third fabric to said input fibers and to be optically coupled on an output side of said third fabric to said output fibers; at least one wavelength interchanger coupled by optical fibers to an output side of said first fabric and to an input side of said second fabric; and a controller coupled to said first, second and third fabrics and to said at least one wavelength interchanger, the controller being configured to execute a routing algorithm that causes a demand that requires a change of wavelength to be routed through at least one of said at least one wavelength interchanger and that causes demands that do not require a change in wavelength to be routed through said third fabric.