Optically-addressable optical switch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10015568-B2
Application number	US-201615290807-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2016
Priority date	Oct 11, 2016
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

An optically-addressable optical switch is disclosed. The optically-addressable optical switch receives, using an optical input, a first optical signal or portion of an optical signal and determines, based on the received optical signal, an address of an optical connector. The address is one of a plurality of addresses respectively corresponding to a plurality of optical connections of the optical switch. The optical switch subsequently receives a second optical signal or portion of an optical signal, using the same optical input, and outputs the second optical signal or portion of the optical signal to the optical connection corresponding to the determined address.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical switch, comprising: a splitting device having an input, and at least two outputs including a first output, and a second output, the splitting device being configured to: receive, at the input, an optical signal having a plurality of portions including a first portion and a second portion, and output the first and second portions of the optical signal respectively at the first and second outputs; an optical detector having an input optically coupled to the first output of the splitting device, and an output, wherein the optical detector is configured to: receive the first portion of the optical signal at the input, generate an electronic signal representative of information in the first portion of the optical signal, and transmit the electronic signal at the output; a controller having an input coupled to the output of the optical detector, and an output, wherein the controller is configured to: receive, at the input, the electronic signal representative of information in the first portion of the optical signal, determine an address of a plurality of addresses based on the electronic signal, and transmit, at the output, a control signal indicating the determined address; a plurality of optical output connectors having a respective plurality of optical connections organized in arrays of different array sizes, the plurality of optical connections having a respective plurality of connector optical inputs and connector optical outputs; and a switch having an optical input optically coupled to the second output of the splitting device, a control input coupled to the output of the controller, and a plurality of optical outputs respectively coupled to the plurality of connector optical inputs of the plurality of optical connections and respectively associated with the plurality of addresses, the switch being configured to: receive the second portion of the optical signal at the optical input, receive, at the control input, the control signal indicating the determined address, and output the second portion of the optical signal via an optical output of the plurality of optical outputs associated with the determined address.

2. The optical switch of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the optical signal is modulated to specify an address of a respective optical output.

3. The optical switch of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the optical signal includes optical data for testing an optical fiber optically coupled to an optical output connector of the plurality of optical output connectors.

4. The optical switch of claim 1 , wherein the optical detector receives the first portion of the optical signal over a first time period starting on or after a commencement of reception of the optical signal and, based on reception of the first portion of the optical signal during the first time period, the optical detector determines that the first portion of the optical signal is carrying the address and outputs the electronic signal representative of information in the first portion of the optical signal.

5. The optical switch of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the optical signal precedes the second portion of the optical signal.

6. The optical switch of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the optical signal has a first wavelength and the second portion of the optical signal has a second wavelength different from the first wavelength.

7. The optical switch of claim 6 , wherein the optical detector is configured to determine that the first portion of the optical signal has the first wavelength, and in response to determining that the first portion of the optical signal has the first wavelength, determine that the first portion of the optical signal is carrying an address and output the electronic signal representative of information in the first portion of the optical signal.

8. The optical switch of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the optical signal is a first type of light signal and the second portion of the optical signal is a second type of light signal different from the first type of light signal, wherein at least one of the first type and second type is at least one of laser light or monochromatic light.

9. The optical switch of claim 8 , wherein the optical detector is configured to determine that the first portion of the optical signal is the first type of light signal and, in response to determining that the first portion of the optical signal is the first type of light signal, determine that the first portion of the optical signal is carrying an address and output the electronic signal representative of information in the first portion of the optical signal.

10. An optical switch, comprising: a splitting device having an input, a first output, and a second output, the splitting device being configured to: receive, at the input, a first optical signal and a second optical signal, and output the first and second optical signals at the first and second outputs, respectively; an optical detector having an input optically coupled to the first output of the splitting device, and an output, wherein the optical detector is configured to: receive the first optical signal at the input, generate an electronic signal representative of information in the first optical signal, and transmit the electronic signal at the output; a controller having an input coupled to the output of the optical detector, and an output, wherein the controller is configured to: receive, at the input, the electronic signal representative of information in the first optical signal, determine an address of a plurality of addresses based on the electronic signal, and transmit, at the output, a control signal indicating the determined address; a plurality of optical output connectors having a respective plurality of optical connections organized in arrays of different array sizes, the plurality of optical connections having a respective plurality of connector optical inputs and connector optical outputs; and a switch having an optical input optically coupled to the second output of the splitting device, a control input coupled to the output of the controller, and a plurality of optical outputs respectively coupled to the plurality of connector optical inputs of the plurality of optical connections and respectively associated with the plurality of addresses, the switch being configured to: receive the second optical signal at the optical input, receive, at the control input, the control signal indicating the determined address, and output the second optical signal via an optical output of the plurality of optical outputs associated with the determined address.

11. The optical switch of claim 10 , wherein the switch includes a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) mirror that is directable to reflect the second optical signal to the optical output of the plurality of optical outputs associated with the determined address.

12. A method, comprising:
receiving, via an optical input of a splitting device, an optical signal having a plurality of portions including a first portion and a second portion;
outputting, by the splitting device, the first portion and the second portion at a first output and a second output of the splitting device, respectively;
receiving, by an optical detector coupled to the first output of the splitting device, the first portion of the optical signal;
generating, by the optical detector, an electronic signal representative of information in the first portion of the optical signal;
outputting, at an output of the optical detector, the electronic signal;
determining, by a controller coupled to the output of the optical detector, an address of a plurality of addresses

Assignees

• Fluke Corp

Inventors

• Schell J David

Classifications

• H04Q11/0005 Primary

  Switch and router aspects · CPC title

• H04Q2011/0073

  Provisions for forwarding or routing, e.g. lookup tables · CPC title

• H04Q2011/0083

  Testing; Monitoring · CPC title

• H04B10/079

  using measurements of the data signal · CPC title

• H04B10/071

  using a reflected signal, e.g. using optical time domain reflectometers [OTDR] · CPC title