Electronic fiber optic switch with optical interconnect

Abstract

A large fiber optic switch system with a free-space optical interconnection configuration. The switch system comprises a plurality of individual switch units, each individual switch unit having a plurality of electronic multi-switch switches each multi-switch switch being re-configurable upon command of a computer processor and having a plurality of electronic input ports and electronics output ports. A first portion of these input ports and a first portion of these output ports are connected directly or indirectly to incoming and outgoing communication lines. A second portion of the output ports is connected to an electronic driver unit that drives an optical emitter array. Each emitter in the emitter array produces a light beam for carrying an optical communication signal. A second portion of the input ports of each of the multi-switch switches is connected to a detector array comprising an array of optical detectors for detecting optical signals and converting the signals to electronic signals and an array of amplifiers for amplifying the signals. The switch comprises a free space optical interconnection configuration for directing each of the light beams which are produced by said emitters of each emitter array in each switch unit to one of the optical detectors in each of the detector arrays of the other switch units. In a preferred embodiment signals incoming into a port of the first portion of the input ports of a first switch unit may be switched by the multi-switch to an emitter in the first switch unit which emits a light beam which is directed at one of the optical detectors of another switch unit. An optical detector of the other switch unit produces an electronic signal corresponding to the optical communication signals and the electronic signal is directed by the multi-switch switch of the other switch unit to one of the output ports from which the signal proceeds to a corresponding outgoing communication lines. In a preferred embodiment the optical interconnection configuration includes a mirror configured to direct beams from each of the emitters to one of the optical detectors.