Patent ID: 7512339

Claim:
An optical packet processing apparatus, comprising: a plurality of input side optical transmission lines to which optical packets are inputted; a plurality of delay sections which are provided in correspondence with each of the input side optical transmission lines and delays a desired optical packet of optical packets inputted from a corresponding input side optical transmission line; an optical coupler where optical packets transmitted from the input side optical transmission lines through the delay sections join; and an output side optical transmission line which outputs optical packets joined in the optical coupler, wherein delay times of the delay sections are different by one optical packet time period or more with respect to each other, and a minimum delay time thereof is the optical packet time period or more; and wherein in a case that a plurality of first optical packets transmitted from one input side optical transmission line without delay and a second optical packet transmitted from the other input side optical transmission line without delay join in the optical coupler so that a part of the first optical packets and the second optical packet collide, the delay section corresponding to the one input side optical transmission line delays first optical packets behind a first optical packet which collides with the second optical packet, the delay section corresponding to the other input side optical transmission line delays the second optical packet, and a delay time of the delay section corresponding to the other input side optical transmission line is shorter than a delay time of the delay section corresponding to the one input side optical transmission line.