METHOD OF SWITCHING NXN OPTICAL CHANNELS AND MULTICHANNEL SWITCH (VERSIONS) Russian patent published in 2014 - IPC G02F1/315 G02F1/65 

FIELD: information technology.

SUBSTANCE: at each channel assembly step, control electrical signals are transmitted to corresponding pairs of total internal reflection cells simultaneously and in parallel for all discharges in order to change the refraction index of material of said cells and, consequently, to transmit optical flux to a neighbouring waveguide. To implement the method, a multichannel switch is disclosed, the switching circuit of which is staged and branched, with parallel connection of input and output optical channel in each stage. Connection addresses are set using lines of optical modulators. The number of channels is doubled using an optical splitter, and transmission of signals from channel to channel is carried out by transmitting electrical signals to the total internal reflection cells. In the first version of the device, signals are directed into cells by electrodes connected thereto, and in the second version using an array of light emitters and optical isolators.

EFFECT: connecting input and output optical channels without crossing fibre-optic and electrical cables with maximum parallelism.

3 cl, 7 dwg