The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 03, 2000
Filed:
Mar. 12, 1998
Tatsuya Shiragaki, Tokyo, JP;
NEC Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An optical switch device includes an integrated space switch section and a wavelength switch section which reduces, a packaging volume and cost. The optical switch device includes a plurality of multi-functional wavelength converters. One of these converters includes a wavelength converter 121, in which an input terminal and an output terminal are connected to optical divider 131 and opticalcoupler 141, respectively, is operated as the wavelength converter only when a current flows through a semiconductor optical amplifier in the wavelength converter. When the current does not flow through the amplifier, the light is not outputted. By turning on/off the current flowing through the semiconductor optical amplifier in the wavelength converter, wavelength converter 121 can functions as a gate switch. The switch device has both of a wavelength conversion function and a space switch function. Wavelength converters 121-123 connected to one optical divider 131 are connected to different opticalcouplers 141-143, respectively, whereby the device can also have a wavelength multiplexing function.