US Patent 7630597 Master/slave multiple path optical switching device

A system and method is provided for controlling switching between multiple primary and diverse optical paths in an optical switching system. The system has a primary upstream optical path, a diverse upstream optical path, one or more primary downstream optical paths, and one or more diverse downstream optical paths. The method comprises the steps of monitoring a signal level of the primary upstream optical path, determining if the signal level of the primary upstream optical path is above a set threshold, and automatically switching both upstream and downstream paths from the primary optical paths to the diverse optical paths if the signal level of the primary upstream optical path is below the predetermined threshold.