Optical switch and wavelength division multiplexing optical system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10031294-B2
Application number	US-201615360642-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2016
Priority date	May 27, 2014
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

An optical switch and a wavelength division multiplexing optical system are disclosed. In an embodiment an optical switch includes an input port array, an input collimator array, an input micromirror array, an output micromirror array, an output collimator array, and an output port array. All input micromirrors included in the input micromirror array can be deflected in two mutually perpendicular directions. The maximum movable ranges of reflected light that is output after all the input micromirrors reflect incident light with the same incident angle have no common intersection on a plane on which the output micromirror array is located or have a common intersection, and an area of the intersection is less than an area of a reflection region of the output micromirror array.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical switch comprising:
an input port array;
an input collimator array connected to the input port array;
an input micromirror array;
an output micromirror array;
an output collimator array; and
an output port array connected to the output collimator array,
wherein the input collimator array is configured to perform collimation and beam expansion on an optical input signal through the input port array, and make the optical signal, on which collimation and beam expansion have been performed, be incident on the input micromirror array,
wherein the input micromirror array is configured to reflect the optical signal, output by the input collimator array, onto the output micromirror array,
wherein the output micromirror array is configured to reflect the optical signal, reflected by the input micromirror array, onto the output collimator array,
wherein the output collimator array is configured to couple the optical signal, reflected by the output micromirror array, to the output port array,
wherein all input micromirrors of the input micromirror array are deflectable in two mutually perpendicular directions; and
wherein an area of a reflection region of the input micromirror array is greater than a preset value, such that maximum moving ranges of reflected light that is output after all the input micromirrors reflect incident light with the same incident angle pass through separate and different regions of a plane on which the output micromirror array is located, or
maximum moving ranges of reflected light that is output after all the input micromirrors reflect incident light with the same incident angle have a common intersection on the plane on which the output micromirror array is located, and an area of a reflection region of the output micromirror array is greater than an area of the common intersection.

2. The optical switch according to claim 1 , wherein the input micromirror array comprises N input micromirror subarrays, wherein the output micromirror array comprises N output micromirror subarrays, each input micromirror in an ith input micromirror subarray of the N input micromirror subarrays can reflect the optical signal onto each output micromirror in an ith output micromirror subarray of the N output micromirror subarrays, and wherein N is a natural number, N ≥2, and i=1, 2, . . . , and N.

3. The optical switch according to claim 2 , wherein a jth input micromirror subarray of the input micromirror array comprises an input adjacent region, and an input micromirror in the input adjacent region can reflect the optical signal onto an output micromirror in a kth output micromirror subarray, wherein the kth output micromirror subarray is adjacent to a jth output micromirror subarray, j and k are natural numbers, and j and k are less than or equal to N.

4. The optical switch according to claim 2 , wherein a first input port of the input port array is connected, by an optical fiber, to a first output port of the output port array so that the optical signal input through a second input port of the input port array can be output through any second output port of the output port array.

5. The optical switch according to claim 4 , wherein N is 6; the ith input micromirror subarray Ii comprises two input micromirror regions Ii, 1 and Ii, 2 ; the ith output micromirror subarray Oi comprises two output micromirror regions Oi, 1 and Oi, 2 ; each input micromirror in the input micromirror region I 1 , 2 can reflect the optical signal onto each output micromirror in the output micromirror region O 2 , 1 ; each input micromirror in I 2 , 1 adjacent to the input micromirror region I 1 , 2 can reflect the optical signal onto each output micromirror in O 1 , 2 adjacent to the output micromirror region O 2 , 1 ; each input micromirror in an input micromirror region I 3 , 2 can reflect the optical signal onto each output micromirror in the output micromirror region O 4 , 1 ; each input micromirror in I 4 , 1 adjacent to the input micromirror region I 3 , 2 can reflect the optical signal onto each output micromirror in O 3 , 2 adjacent to the output micromirror region O 4 , 1 ; and first input ports corresponding to the input micromirror regions I 1 , 1 , I 2 , 2 , I 3 , 1 , I 4 , 2 , I 5 , 1 , I 5 , 2 , I 6 , 1 and I 6 , 2 are respectively connected to first output ports corresponding to output micromirror regions O 5 , 1 , O 5 , 2 , O 6 , 1 , O 6 , 2 , O 3 , 1 , O 4 , 2 , O 1 , 1 , and O 2 , 2 by using optical fibers.

6. The optical switch according to claim 5 , wherein the input micromirror regions Ii, 1 and Ii, 2 separately comprise L/2 input micromirrors, and the output micromirror regions Oi, 1 and Oi, 2 separately comprise L/2 output micromirrors, and wherein L is an even number.

7. The optical switch according to claim 2 , wherein each input micromirror subarray comprises M input micromirrors, and each output micromirror subarray comprises M output micromirrors, and wherein M is a natural number.

8. The optical switch according to claim 2 , wherein the ith input micromirror subarray comprising M input micromirrors and the ith output micromirror subarray comprising M output micromirrors forming an ith micromirror subarray pair, and N micromirror subarray pairs comprise: R first micromirror subarray pairs, 2S−-1 second micromirror subarray pairs, and R third micromirror subarray pairs, wherein R, S, and M are natural numbers, and 2R+2S−1=N,
wherein each first micromirror subarray pair corresponds to S input ports in the input port array and 2S−1 output ports in the output port array, each second micromirror subarray pair corresponds to R input ports in the input port array and R output ports in the output port array, and each third micromirror subarray pair corresponds to 2S−1 input ports in the input port array and S output ports in the output port array, and
wherein a yth output port O 1 x,y corresponding to an xth first micromirror subarray pair and an xth input port I 2 y,x corresponding to a yth second micromirror subarray pair are connected by a optical fiber, and an yth input port I 3 x,y corresponding to an xth third micromirror subarray pair and an xth output port O 2 y,x corresponding to a yth second micromirror subarray pair are connected by optical fiber, and wherein x and y are natural numbers, x=1, 2, . . . , and R, and y=1, 2, . . . , and 2S−1.

9. A wavelength division multiplexing optical system, the system comprising:
the optical switch according to claim 1 ;
m1 demultiplexers; and
m2 multiplexers,
wherein the input port array comprises N input port subarrays, the input collimator array comprises N input collimator subarrays, the output port array comprises N output port subarrays, and the output collimator array comprises N output collimator subarrays, wherein each input port subarray corresponds to one input collimator subarray and one input micromirror subarray, and each output port subarray corresponds to one output collimator subarray and one output micromirror subarray, and
wherein each input port subarray comprises M1 input ports, each output port subarray comprises M2 output ports, a l1th input port in an ith input port subarray is connected to a port that is of a l1th demultiplexer of a wavelength division multiplexing WDM system and through which an ith wavelength-combined optical signal is output, and a l2th output port in an ith output port subarray is connected to a port that is a l2th multiplexer of the WDM system and through which the ith wavelength-combined optical signal is input, and wherein M1, M2, l1, and l2 are natural numbers, l1=1, 2, . . . , and m1, l2=1, 2, . . . , and m2, 2 ≤m1≤M1, and 2≤m2≤M2.

10. The wavelength division multipl

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhang Chunhui
• Zhang Peng

Classifications

• G02B6/3542 Primary

  Non-blocking switch, e.g. with multiple potential paths between multiple inputs and outputs, the establishment of one switching path not preventing the establishment of further switching paths · CPC title

• G02B6/3512

  the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror · CPC title

• G02B6/35

  having switching means (by changing the optical properties of the medium G02F1/00) · CPC title

• G02B6/352

  the reflective optical element having a shaped reflective surface, e.g. a reflective element comprising several reflective surfaces or facets that function together · CPC title

• G02B6/3556

  NxM switch, i.e. regular arrays of switches elements of matrix type constellation · CPC title