Optical Switching Device With Three-Stage Matrix For Port Sharing

The patent divides a large-scale optical switch into multiple small optical switches arranged in a three-stage architecture (input stage, intermediate stage, output stage). Each small optical switch handles a subset of wavelengths, and together they provide the functionality of a large-scale switch. This segmentation reduces the complexity and manufacturing difficulty of individual switch components while achieving the same overall resource sharing capability.

The patent implements a nested structure where multiple small optical switches are organized hierarchically within a larger switching system. The input stage, intermediate stage, and output stage are nested layers that work together, with each layer containing multiple small switches that collectively provide the required wavelength adding/dropping and conversion functions.

The patent implements dynamic port allocation where ports are not fixed to specific wavelength planes but can be flexibly assigned based on real-time traffic demands. The three-stage switching architecture allows ports to be dynamically routed through different paths, enabling the system to adapt to varying wavelength adding/dropping requirements without permanently reserving ports, thus improving resource utilization while maintaining capability.

The patent makes ports universal by allowing them to serve multiple functions across different wavelength planes. Instead of dedicating specific ports to specific wavelength planes, the same physical ports can handle wavelength adding/dropping for multiple planes through the intermediate stage switching, enabling one port to perform multiple functions and reducing overall port requirements.