EXPANDABLE MULTICAST OPTICAL SWITCH

• US 20140161454A1
• Filed: 12/11/2013
• Published: 06/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lumentum Operations, LLC (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Peter David Roorda
• Inventors: ROORDA, Peter David
• Granted Patent: US 9,252,910 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/68
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0209 Multi-stage arrangements, e.g. by cascading multiplexers or demultiplexers
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0212 using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/02126 Multicast switch arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0219 Modular or upgradable architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0047 Broadcast; Multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0052 Interconnection of switches

Abstract

A scalable multicast M×N optical switch (MCS) includes a non-scalable MCS having a plurality of (L+1)×1 selector switches east coupled at one of its L entrance ports to egress ports of the non-scalable MCS, the remaining L−1 entrance ports being coupled to an L*N upgrade ports, where M and N are integers ≧2, and L is an integer ≧1. This allows the scalable MCS to be cascaded in a daisy-chain fashion, providing scalability from the M common ports to L*M common ports. In another embodiment, the selector switches are integrated into the MCS, providing scalability of common MCS ports.

Claims

1. An expandable M×

N multicast optical switch comprising;

M common ports, N add/drop ports, and L*N upgrade ports, wherein M and N are integers ≧

2, and L is an integer ≧

1;

a non-expandable M×

N multicast optical switch having M ingress ports each coupled to a unique one of the M common ports, and N egress ports; and

N (L+1)×

1 optical couplers each having L+1 entrance ports and one exit port, wherein each one of the optical couplers has one of the entrance ports coupled to a unique one of the N egress ports, and the exit port coupled to a unique one of the N add/drop ports;

wherein each one of the remaining L entrance ports of the N optical couplers is coupled to a unique one of the L*N upgrade ports.

2. The expandable M×

N multicast optical switch of claim 1, wherein each one of the (L+1)×

1 optical couplers comprises an (L+1)×

1 selector optical switch.

3. The expandable M×

N multicast optical switch of claim 2, wherein each selector optical switch is selected from the group consisting of a LCOS optical switch, a MEMS optical switch, or a PLC optical switch.

4. The expandable M×

N multicast optical switch of claim 1, wherein each of the (L+1)×

1 optical couplers comprises a (L+1)×

1 optical splitter/combiner; and

wherein the non-expandable M×

N multicast optical switch comprises a blocking multicast optical switch.

5. A 2M×

N optical switch comprising;

the expandable M×

N multicast optical switch of claim 1, wherein L=1; and

an additional multicast M×

N optical switch having M common ports and N add/drop ports, wherein each of the N add/drop ports of the additional multicast M×

N optical switch is coupled to a unique one of the N upgrade ports.

6. A 3M×

N optical switch comprising;

the expandable M×

N multicast optical switch of claim 1, wherein L=2; and

first and second additional multicast M×

N optical switches each having M common ports and N add/drop ports, wherein each of the N add/drop ports of the first and second additional multicast M×

N optical switches is coupled to a unique one of the 2N upgrade ports.

7. An optical switch comprising two expandable M×

N multicast optical switches of claim 1,

wherein N of the L*N upgrade ports of one of the two expandable M×

N multicast optical switches are coupled one-to-one to N of the L*N upgrade ports of the other of the two expandable M×

N multicast optical switches, thus providing a loopback capability between the N add/drop ports of the two expandable M×

N multicast optical switches.

8. An optical module comprising the expandable M×

N multicast optical switch of claim 1 and N coherent receivers each coupled to a unique one of the N add/drop ports.

15. A reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexor comprising:

first and second expandable M×

N multicast optical switches of claim 1; and

first and second 1×

(M+1) input wavelength-selective optical switches, and first and second (M+1)×

1 output wavelength-selective optical switches;

wherein one of the M+1 output ports of the first input wavelength-selective optical switch is coupled to one of the M+1 input ports of the first output wavelength-selective optical switch, and one of the M+1 output ports of the second input wavelength-selective optical switch is coupled to one of the M+1 input ports of the second output wavelength-selective optical switch;

wherein a first one of the remaining M output ports of the first and second input wavelength-selective optical switches is coupled to first and second of the M common ports of the first expandable M×

N multicast optical switch, respectively; and

wherein a first one of the remaining M output ports of the first and second output wavelength-selective optical switches is coupled to first and second of the M common ports of the second expandable M×

N multicast optical switch, respectively.

16. The reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexor of claim 15, further comprising N coherent optical receivers each coupled to a unique one of the N add/drop ports of the first expandable M×

N multicast optical switch.

17. The reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexor of claim 15, further comprising:

third and fourth expandable M×

N multicast optical switches, wherein each add/drop port of the third and fourth expandable M×

N multicast optical switches is coupled to a unique one of the upgrade ports of the first and second expandable M×

N multicast optical switches, respectively;

third and fourth 1×

(M+1) input wavelength-selective optical switches, and third and fourth (M+1)×

1 output wavelength-selective optical switches;

wherein one of the M+1 output ports of the third input wavelength-selective optical switch is coupled to one of the M+1 input ports of the third output wavelength-selective optical switch, and one of the M+1 output ports of the fourth input wavelength-selective optical switch is coupled to one of the M+1 input ports of the fourth output wavelength-selective optical switch;

wherein a first one of the remaining M output ports of the third and fourth input wavelength-selective optical switches is coupled to first and second of the M common ports, respectively, of the third expandable M×

N multicast optical switch; and

wherein a first one of the remaining M output ports of the third and fourth output wavelength-selective optical switches is coupled to first and second of the M common ports, respectively, of the fourth expandable M×

N multicast optical switch.

9. An expandable M×

N multicast optical switch comprising;

M common ports, N add/drop ports, and L*N upgrade ports, wherein M and N are integers ≧

2, and L is an integer ≧

1;

N (M+L)×

1 selector optical switches each having M+L entrance ports, and an exit port coupled to a unique one of the N add/drop ports; and

an optical splitter coupled to the M common ports, for coupling each of the M common ports to a unique entrance port of each one of the N (M+L)×

1 selector optical switches;

wherein each of the remaining L entrance ports of each of the N selector optical switches is coupled to a unique one of the L*N upgrade ports.

10. The expandable M×

N multicast optical switch of claim 9, wherein each selector optical switch is selected from the group consisting of a LCOS optical switch, a MEMS optical switch, and a PLC optical switch.

11. The expandable M×

N multicast optical switch of claim 9, wherein the optical splitter is selected from the group consisting of a diffractive optical element and a PLC optical splitter.

12. A 2M×

N optical switch comprising;

the expandable M×

N multicast optical switch of claim 9, wherein L=1; and

an additional multicast M×

N optical switch having M common ports and N add/drop ports, wherein each of the N add/drop ports of the additional multicast M×

N optical switch is coupled to a unique one of the N upgrade ports.

13. A 3M×

N optical switch comprising;

the expandable M×

N multicast optical switch of claim 9, wherein L=2; and

first and second additional multicast M×

N optical switches each having M common ports and N add/drop ports, wherein each of the N add/drop ports of the first and second additional multicast M×

N optical switches is coupled to a unique one of the 2N upgrade ports.

14. An optical module comprising the expandable M×

N multicast optical switch of claim 9 and N coherent receivers each coupled to a unique one of the N add/drop ports.

18. A reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexor comprising:

first and second expandable M×

N multicast optical switches of claim 9; and

first and second 1×

(M+1) input wavelength-selective optical switches, and first and second (M+1)×

1 output wavelength-selective optical switches;

wherein one of the M+1 output ports of the first input wavelength-selective optical switch is coupled to one of the M+1 input ports of the first output wavelength-selective optical switch, and one of the M+1 output ports of the second input wavelength-selective optical switch is coupled to one of the M+1 input ports of the second output wavelength-selective optical switch;

wherein a first one of the remaining M output ports of the first and second input wavelength-selective optical switches is coupled to first and second of the M common ports of the first expandable M×

N multicast optical switch, respectively; and

wherein a first one of the remaining M output ports of the first and second output wavelength-selective optical switches is coupled to first and second of the M common ports of the second expandable M×

N multicast optical switch, respectively.

19. The reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexor of claim 18, further comprising N coherent optical receivers each coupled to a unique one of the N add/drop ports of the first expandable M×

N multicast optical switch.

20. The reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexor of claim 18, further comprising:

third and fourth expandable M×

N multicast optical switches, and wherein each add/drop port of the third and fourth expandable M×

N multicast optical switches is coupled to a unique one of the upgrade ports of the first and second expandable M×

N multicast optical switches, respectively;

third and fourth 1×

(M+1) input wavelength-selective optical switches, and third and fourth (M+1)×

1 output wavelength-selective optical switches;

wherein one of the M+1 output ports of the third input wavelength-selective optical switch is coupled to one of the M+1 input ports of the third output wavelength-selective optical switch, and one of the M+1 output ports of the fourth input wavelength-selective optical switch is coupled to one of the M+1 input ports of the fourth output wavelength-selective optical switch;

wherein a first one of the remaining M output ports of the third and fourth input wavelength-selective optical switches is coupled to first and second of the M common ports, respectively, of the third expandable M×

N multicast optical switch; and

wherein a first one of the remaining M output ports of the third and fourth output wavelength-selective optical switches is coupled to first and second of the M common ports, respectively, of the fourth expandable M×

N multicast optical switch.