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:
Nov. 09, 2004
Filed:
Sep. 28, 2001
Claude E. Tew, Dallas, TX (US);
Texas Instruments Incorporated, Dallas, TX (US);
Abstract
An optical switch ideally suited for use as an optical add drop multiplexer (OADM). A light beam entering the OADM through a first input fiber ( ) is separated by wavelength to yield multiple light beams ( ). One light beam ( ) is reflected by one or more of the mirrors in mirror array ( ). Depending on the position of the mirrors struck by light beam ( ), the beam is reflected to a first region of a retro-reflector ( ) or a second region ( ). When light beam ( ) is reflected by the second region ( ) of the retro-reflector, it again travels to the mirror array ( ) and is then reflected to a wavelength combiner ( ) and output on the second (“drop”) output fiber ( ). While a first wavelength light beam ( ) is reflected to the drop output ( ), other wavelengths of light from the first input ( ), for example light beam ( ), are directed to the “out” optical fiber ( ). A first group of mirrors ( ) in the array ( ) are thus used selectively to switch various wavelengths of the input optical signal to either the “out” optical fiber ( ) or the “drop” optical fiber ( ). Another group of mirrors ( ) works cooperatively with the first group to direct light beams destined for the “drop” output fiber ( ) to the wavelength combiner associated with the “drop” output. Other groups of mirrors operate to switch various wavelengths from the second input ( ), the “add” fiber, to the first output “out.”