A multi-channel integrated optical switching module

Abstract

The application discloses a multi-channel integrated optical switching module, comprising M input collimators, N switching collimators, M emergency disaster recovery collimators, MxN micro relays, MxN mirrors and a control board. The application integrates electrical devices (the control board and the micro relays) and optical devices (the collimators and the mirrors) into one, has the characteristics of compact structure and simple and reliable process, has MxN non-blocking optical path switching and an additional group of M optical paths for optical path emergency disaster recovery, has important value for practical application of the multi-channel transmission integrated optical switching module, and can be flexibly and stably applied to wide application occasions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of optical switching technology, and more specifically to a multi-channel integrated optical switching module. Background Technology

[0002] Optical switching modules play a crucial role in applications such as cloud computing and data centers, establishing interconnected networks and enabling high-speed data exchange. An optical switching module has one or more selectable transmission ports, performing physical switching or logical operations on optical signals in optical transmission lines or integrated optical circuits, playing a vital role in optical networks. Existing optical switching modules are mainly composed of cascaded MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) optical switches. To achieve optical switching with M inputs and N outputs, the optical switching module needs to use M 1×N plus N 1×M MEMS optical switches. The input terminals of the M 1×N MEMS optical switches form the M inputs of the optical switching module, and the output terminals of the M 1×N MEMS optical switches are sequentially connected to the output terminals of the N 1×M MEMS optical switches, with the input terminals of the N 1×M MEMS optical switches forming the N outputs of the optical switching module. For example... Figure 1 This is a 4×4 optical switching module composed of eight 1×4 MEMS optical switches. However, this type of optical switching module has shortcomings: 1. It can only realize M×N optical switching functions and does not have the emergency disaster recovery function for M optical paths. Therefore, for some special application scenarios that require always maintaining the optical path, the existing optical switching module is not entirely suitable; 2. When MEMS optical switches are cascaded, they are not only structurally complex, but also have poor performance problems such as low isolation reliability, high insertion loss, and long switching time; 3. Since only foreign MEMS chips can be purchased to assemble MEMS optical switches, the MEMS itself cannot be modified at will. Furthermore, because the MEMS technology itself cannot maintain power-down, the existing optical switching module also cannot achieve power-down retention. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention addresses the problems of existing optical switching modules lacking optical path emergency disaster recovery capabilities, thus making them unsuitable for critical applications, as well as their complex structure and poor performance. It provides a multi-channel integrated optical switching module.

[0004] To solve the above problems, the present invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0005] A multi-channel integrated optical switching module includes M input collimators, N switching collimators, M emergency disaster recovery collimators, M×N miniature relays, M×N reflectors, and a control board. The stationary contact of each miniature relay is fixedly mounted on the control board. All miniature relays are arranged in a regular matrix on the control board to form a relay matrix. The M input collimators are arranged in parallel rows on one side of the relay matrix, each corresponding to a miniature relay in each row of the matrix. The N switching collimators are arranged in parallel columns on the other side of the relay matrix, each corresponding to a miniature relay in each column of the miniature relay array. The M emergency disaster recovery collimators are arranged in parallel rows on another side of the relay matrix, each corresponding to a miniature relay in each row of the matrix. Each miniature relay has a reflector mounted on its moving contact. All reflectors are installed in the same direction as the miniature relays, meaning the reflecting surface of the reflector simultaneously reflects the input collimator and the mirror in the corresponding row. The switching collimators in each column are simultaneously opposite each other; the control terminals of all micro relays are electrically connected to the control board; each micro relay operates independently under the control of the control board, that is, the control board turns the stationary contact of the micro relay on and off, causing the moving contact of the micro relay to engage and disengage with the stationary contact, thereby causing the moving contact to drive the reflector on it to rise and fall; when the reflector is in the rising state, the height of the reflector is consistent with the height of the input collimator of the corresponding row and the switching collimator of the corresponding column. At this time, the light signal output from the input collimator of the corresponding row is reflected by the reflector to the switching collimator of the corresponding column, and the switching collimator of the corresponding column outputs the light signal; when the reflector is in the falling state, the height of the reflector is lower than the height of the input collimator and the emergency disaster recovery collimator of the corresponding row. At this time, the light signal output from the input collimator of the corresponding row directly passes through the reflector and enters the emergency disaster recovery collimator of the corresponding row, and is output by the emergency disaster recovery collimator of the corresponding row; M and N are set positive integers greater than 1.

[0006] In the above scheme, the M input collimators, N switching collimators, and M emergency disaster recovery collimators are all at the same horizontal level.

[0007] In the above scheme, the row spacing or column spacing between any two adjacent relay matrices is equal.

[0008] In the above scheme, each miniature relay includes a coil, an iron core, a magnet, and an armature; wherein the coil, iron core, and magnet form the stationary contact of the miniature relay, and the armature forms the moving contact of the miniature relay; the lead-out end of the coil forms the control end of the miniature relay; the coil is wound around the outside of the iron core, and the magnet is fixed above the iron core on which the coil is wound; the armature is located above the iron core, and one end of the armature, i.e., the fixed end, is hinged to one end of the magnet, and the other end of the armature, i.e., the movable end, is used to fix the reflector.

[0009] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following characteristics:

[0010] 1. This invention integrates electrical components (control board and micro relay) with optical components (collimator and reflector) into one unit, featuring a compact structure and simple and reliable process. It not only has M×N non-blocking optical path switching, but also has an additional M optical path for optical path emergency disaster recovery. This is of great value for the practical application of multi-channel transmission integrated optical switching modules, making them flexible and stable for a wide range of applications.

[0011] 2. Since all optical links in this invention are non-cascaded and transmission is achieved directly through free space collimation, the optical transmission link is optimized, which improves switching reliability and effectively reduces insertion loss and switching time. Taking 16×16 as an example, the volume can be made below 30×30×30mm, the insertion loss is ≤1dB, the switching time is ≤8ms, the single-mode isolation is ≥60dB, and the operating temperature range is -45 to 85 degrees. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an existing optical switching module.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the switching operation of a multi-channel integrated optical switching module (the emergency disaster recovery collimator is not shown in the diagram).

[0014] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the emergency disaster recovery operation of a multi-channel integrated optical switching module (the switching collimator is not shown in the diagram).

[0015] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a miniature relay.

[0016] The following numbers are labeled in the diagram: 1. Input collimator, 2. Switching collimator, 3. Emergency disaster recovery collimator, 4. Miniature relay, 41. Coil, 42. Iron core, 43. Magnet, 44. Armature, 5. Reflector, 6. Control board. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific examples.

[0018] A multi-channel integrated optical switching module, such as Figure 2 and 3As shown, the system includes M input collimators 1, N switching collimators 2, M emergency disaster recovery collimators 3, M×N miniature relays 4, M×N reflectors 5, and a control board 6. M and N are set positive integers greater than 1, and they can be the same or different. M represents the number of input channels of the optical switching module given in the system design, and N represents the number of switching channels of the optical switching module given in the system design.

[0019] In this invention, the miniature relay 4 can be a commercially available relay or a self-developed relay. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, each miniature relay 4 mainly consists of a coil 41, an iron core 42, a magnet 43, and an armature 44, as shown below. Figure 4 The coil 41, iron core 42, and magnet 43 form the stationary contact of the miniature relay 4, while the armature 44 forms the moving contact. The lead-out end of the coil 41 forms the control terminal of the miniature relay 4. The coil 41 is wound around the outside of the iron core 42. The magnet 43 is fixed above the iron core 42 on which the coil 41 is wound. The armature 44 is located above the iron core 42, and one end of the armature 44, the fixed end, is hinged to one end of the magnet 43. The other end of the armature 44, the movable end, is used to fix the reflector 5. When the moving contact and the stationary contact of the miniature relay 4 need to be in an open or closed state, only a positive (reverse) DC pulse voltage needs to be used to excite the coil 41. The miniature relay 4 completes the open or closed state transition instantly. When the moving contact and the stationary contact are in a holding state, the coil 41 does not need to be energized. The magnetic force of the permanent magnet 43 is sufficient to maintain the state of the relay.

[0020] The stationary contact of each miniature relay 4 is fixedly mounted on the control board 6. All miniature relays 4 are arranged in a regular matrix on the control board 6 to form a relay matrix, and the row spacing or column spacing between any two adjacent relay matrices is equal.

[0021] M input collimators 1 are arranged in parallel rows on one side of the relay matrix (e.g., the right side), each directly opposite a miniature relay 4 in each row of the relay matrix. These M input collimators 1 together form the optical signal input terminal of the optical switching module. N switching collimators 2 are arranged in parallel columns on the other side of the relay matrix (e.g., the rear side), each directly opposite a miniature relay 4 in each column of the miniature relay 4 array. These N switching collimators 2 together form the optical signal switching terminal of the N optical switching modules. M emergency disaster recovery collimators 3 are arranged in parallel rows on another side of the relay matrix (e.g., the left side), each directly opposite a miniature relay 4 in each row of the relay matrix. These M emergency disaster recovery collimators 3 together form the optical signal emergency disaster recovery terminal of the M optical switching modules. In addition, in order to allow the light signal emitted by the input collimator 1 to enter the switching collimator 2 during reflection and the emergency collimator 3 during direct transmission, and to simplify the manufacturing process, the M input collimators 1, N switching collimators 2 and M emergency collimators 3 are all at the same horizontal level.

[0022] Each miniature relay 4 has a reflector 5 mounted on its moving contact. All reflectors 5 are mounted in the same orientation as the miniature relay 4, that is, the reflecting surface of the reflector 5 is simultaneously opposite to the input collimator 1 in the corresponding row and the switching collimator 2 in the corresponding column. In other words, the reflecting surface of the reflector 5 located in the m-th row and n-th column is opposite to the input collimator 1 in the m-th row and the switching collimator 2 in the n-th column. The light signal output from the input collimator 1 in the m-th row can be incident on the switching collimator 2 in the n-th column after being reflected by the reflecting surface of the reflector 5 in the m-th row and n-th column.

[0023] The control terminals of all miniature relays 4 are electrically connected to the control board 6. Each miniature relay 4 operates independently under the control of the control board 6. Specifically, the control board 6 energizes and de-energizes the stationary contact of the miniature relay 4, causing the moving contact of the miniature relay 4 to engage and disengage from the stationary contact. This, in turn, causes the moving contact to move the reflector 5 upwards and downwards. When the reflector 5 is in the raised state, its height matches the height of the input collimator 1 in the corresponding row and the switching collimator 2 in the corresponding column. At this time, the light signal output from the input collimator 1 in the corresponding row is reflected by the reflector 5 to the switching collimator 2 in the corresponding column, and the switching collimator 2 outputs the light signal, such as... Figure 2 As shown. When reflector 5 is in the lowered state, its height is lower than that of the corresponding row's input collimator 1 and emergency collimator 3. At this time, the optical signal output from the corresponding row's input collimator 1 directly passes through reflector 5 and enters the corresponding row's emergency collimator 3, and is output by the corresponding row's emergency collimator 3, as shown. Figure 3 As shown.

[0024] The optical switching module of this invention can realize optical path switching or optical path emergency disaster recovery for at least one path. It can achieve up to M×N non-blocking optical switching and M optical paths for optical emergency disaster recovery. During optical path switching, it is only necessary to raise the reflector 5 on the miniature relay 4 to reflect the optical path output from the input collimator 1 of the corresponding row to the switching collimator 2 of the corresponding column. The reflectors 5 on the miniature relays 4 before and after the reflector 5 are lowered to prevent the optical path from being blocked, thus achieving optical path switching. During optical path emergency disaster recovery, it is only necessary to lower all the reflectors 5 on the miniature relays 4 to prevent the optical path output from the input collimator 1 of the corresponding row from directly passing through to the emergency disaster recovery collimator 3 in the same row, thus achieving optical path emergency disaster recovery.

[0025] The following describes the switching and emergency disaster recovery operation of the optical switching module of this invention using one optical path switching and one optical path emergency disaster recovery as examples, where m = 1, 2, ..., M and n = 1, 2, ..., N:

[0026] Optical path switching state: When the optical signal input to the input collimator 1 of the m-th path needs to be switched to the output of the switching collimator 2 of the n-th path, the reflector 5 on the miniature relay 4 in the m-th row and n-th column rises, and the reflectors 5 on the other miniature relays 4 fall. At this time, the optical signal input to the input collimator 1 of the m-th path is reflected by the reflector 5 on the miniature relay 4 in the m-th row and n-th column and output from the switching collimator 2 of the n-th path.

[0027] Optical path emergency disaster recovery status: When the optical signal input to the input collimator 1 of the m-th channel needs to be output from the emergency disaster recovery collimator 3 of the m-th channel, the reflectors 5 of all the miniature relays 4 in the m-th row are lowered. At this time, the optical signal input to the input collimator 1 of the m-th channel directly passes over the reflectors 5 on the miniature relays 4 in the m-th row and is output from the emergency disaster recovery collimator 3 of the m-th channel.

[0028] It should be noted that although the embodiments described above are illustrative, they are not intended to limit the invention. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Any other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art under the guidance of this invention without departing from its principles are considered to be within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A multi-channel integrated optical switching module, characterized in that, It includes M input collimators (1), N switching collimators (2), M emergency disaster recovery collimators (3), M×N miniature relays (4), M×N reflectors (5), and a control board (6); The stationary contact of each miniature relay (4) is fixedly mounted on the control board (6); all miniature relays (4) are arranged in a regular matrix on the control board (6) to form a relay matrix; M input collimators (1) are arranged in parallel rows on one side of the relay matrix, and each is directly opposite to the miniature relay (4) in each row of the relay matrix; N switching collimators (2) are arranged in parallel columns on the other side of the relay matrix, and each is directly opposite to the miniature relay (4) in each column of the miniature relay (4) array; M emergency disaster recovery collimators (3) are arranged in parallel rows on another side of the relay matrix, and each is directly opposite to the miniature relay (4) in each row of the relay matrix; Each miniature relay (4) has a reflector (5) mounted on its moving contact; all reflectors (5) are mounted in the same direction as the miniature relay (4), that is, the reflective surface of the reflector (5) is simultaneously opposite to the input collimator (1) of the corresponding row and the switching collimator (2) of the corresponding column. The control terminals of all miniature relays (4) are electrically connected to the control board (6); each miniature relay (4) works independently under the control of the control board (6), that is, the control board (6) turns the stationary contact of the miniature relay (4) on and off, so that the moving contact of the miniature relay (4) and the stationary contact can be engaged and disengaged, and then the moving contact drives the reflector (5) on it to descend and rise. When the reflector (5) is in the rising state, the height of the reflector (5) is consistent with the height of the input collimator (1) of the corresponding row and the switching collimator (2) of the corresponding column. At this time, the light signal output from the input collimator (1) of the corresponding row is reflected by the reflector (5) to the switching collimator (2) of the corresponding column, and the light signal is output by the switching collimator (2) of the corresponding column. When the reflector (5) is in the lowered state, the height of the reflector (5) is lower than the height of the input collimator (1) and the emergency collimator (3) of the corresponding row. At this time, the light signal output from the input collimator (1) of the corresponding row passes directly through the reflector (5) and enters the emergency collimator (3) of the corresponding row, and is output by the emergency collimator (3) of the corresponding row. The above M and N are set positive integers greater than 1.

2. The multi-channel integrated optical switching module according to claim 1, characterized in that, M input collimators (1), N switching collimators (2) and M emergency disaster recovery collimators (3) are all at the same horizontal level.

3. The multi-channel integrated optical switching module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The row or column spacing between any two adjacent relay matrices is equal.

4. The multi-channel integrated optical switching module according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each miniature relay (4) includes a coil (41), an iron core (42), a magnet (43), and an armature (44); wherein the coil (41), the iron core (42), and the magnet (43) form the stationary contact of the miniature relay (4), and the armature (44) forms the moving contact of the miniature relay (4); the lead-out end of the coil (41) forms the control end of the miniature relay (4); the coil (41) is wound around the outside of the iron core (42), and the magnet (43) is fixed above the iron core (42) on which the coil (41) is wound; the armature (44) is located above the iron core (42), and one end of the armature (44), i.e., the fixed end, is hinged to one end of the magnet (43), and the other end of the armature (44), i.e., the movable end, is used to fix the reflector (5).

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