Corning Incorporated

Izudin Lelic

Ming-Jun Li

Mark J Soulliere

Roe Hemenway

Daniel J Tebben

Xuxing Zhao

The present invention is directed to a protection switch for use in a node of a two-fiber optical shared protection ring. The two-fiber optical shared protection ring propagates at least one bi-directional channel. Each bi-directional channel includes a working first wavelength signal and a working second wavelength signal. One fiber in the two-fiber optical channel shared protection ring propagates the working first wavelength signal in a first direction and the other fiber in the two-fiber optical channel shared protection ring propagating the working second wavelength signal in a second direction opposite the first direction. The switch includes an N&times;N optical switch fabric system disposed in the node. The N&times;N optical switch fabric includes 2N input/output (I/O) ports, wherein N is four, or an integer multiple of four. Each optical switch fabric is configured to switch at least one bi-directional channel. At least N three-port optical devices are coupled to N of the I/O ports. Each three-port optical device includes a bi-directional port coupled to an I/O port. The bi-directional port is configured to propagate the at least one bi-directional channel.

Two-fiber optical shared protection ring with a bi-directional 4&times;4 optical switch fabric

A multi-stage optical cross-connect in which sub-switches within the respective stages are spatially distributed relative to sub-switches of adjacent stages such that each input/output of any given sub-switch is respectively optically coupleable with an output/input of a respective sub-switch of an adjacent stage by direct linear optical propagation or by non-interleaving waveguides, such that simple interconnection between stages is provided. The spatial distribution may be accomplished within a single plane or by layering the sub-switches within a given stage.

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Plymouth, MN, United States of America

Izudin Lelic