Patent ID: 7027232

Claim:
An optical cross connect comprising: a. a main path along which signal beams propagate between first fiber ends arrayed in a first fiber block and second fiber ends arrayed in a second fiber block; b. a telecentric lens having a symmetry axis coinciding with said main path and a configuration for inducing a simultaneous transformation to a number of distinctly propagating signal beams from a first beam propagating condition into a second propagating condition and vice versa, said first propagating condition including first beam axes of said signal beams substantially parallel to said main path between one of said fiber blocks and a front side of said lens and including beam widths increasing towards said front side, said second propagating condition including second beam axes dispersing in direction away from a back side of said lens and including second beam widths decreasing away from said back side and zeroing at a reference plane; and c. an optical element having a number of distinct optical surfaces and being configured and positioned with respect to said lens such that at least one of said second beam axes coincides with at least one of said optical surfaces, and wherein at least one of said optical surfaces is oriented such that at least one of said second beam axes is redirected into third beam axes towards one of a number of moveable mirrors arrayed on a mirror array of said optical cross connect.