Patent ID: 7233741

Claim:
An optical exchange for a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical network, comprising: (a) a plurality of input ports from which a plurality of optical signals are to be inputted; (b) a plurality of output ports to be allocated one to each of said input ports; (c) deflecting means for deflecting the optical signals, which are inputted via said input ports, and outputting the deflected optical signals to said output ports; (d) storing means for storing deflection information about a plurality of target amounts of deflection to which the respective input optical signals are to be individually deflected by said deflecting means, one target amount for each of said output ports, which are to be allocated to the respective input ports; and (e) controlling/driving means for controlling/driving said deflecting means so as to set amounts of deflection of the individual input optical signals based on the deflection information stored in said storing means; said controlling/driving means including a driving circuit for driving said deflecting means so as to deflect traveling paths of the individual optical signals respectively to the selected destination-of-output ports, said driving circuit including (e1) a switching controller, responsive to receipt of a switching control signal designating an output port as a destination of switching with respect to a particular input port as an object of switching, for reading out from said storing means the target amount of deflection for such destination-of-switching output port with respect to such object-of-switching port, and controlling said deflecting means in such a manner that said deflecting means deflects the individual input optical signals based on the respective target amounts of deflection that are read out from said storing means; and (e2) a power-level controller for performing a feedback control on power levels of the individual output optical signals, from said output ports so that they are equalized to a target power level.