US 12,133,032 B2
Optical switch with integrated fast protection
Balakrishnan Sridhar, Ellicott City, MD (US); Iwan Kartawira, San Jose, CA (US); Manveer Singh, Tracy, CA (US); and Mohan Rao G. Lingampalli, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Equinix, Inc., Redwood City, CA (US)
Filed by Equinix, Inc., Redwood City, CA (US)
Filed on Jan. 13, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/647,862.
Prior Publication US 2023/0224614 A1, Jul. 13, 2023
Int. Cl. H04Q 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC H04Q 11/0005 (2013.01) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
13. An interconnection system comprising:
a first data center interconnect;
a second, different data center interconnect;
an optical switch comprising:
a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports;
a cross-connect fabric having one or more fabric inputs, one or more fabric outputs, and a robotic mechanism to cross-connect the fabric inputs to the fabric outputs,
wherein a first one of the fabric inputs of the cross-connect fabric is connected to a first input port of the plurality of input ports of the optical switch;
an integrated fast optical switch comprising a first fast optical switch input, a first fast optical switch output, and a second fast optical switch output,
wherein the first fast optical switch input is connected to a first one of the fabric outputs of the cross-connect fabric, and
wherein the fast optical switch has a switching time that is less than 1000 milliseconds to switch the first fast optical switch input between the first fast optical switch output on a path to a first output port of the plurality of output ports and the second fast optical switch output on a path to a second output port of the plurality of output ports,
wherein the first output port of the plurality of output ports is connected to the first data center interconnect, and
wherein the second output port of the plurality of output ports is connected to the second data center interconnect.