Patent attributes
An address determination circuit makes an address determination of an optical packet to which a destination address and a source address are assigned on a bit-by-bit basis. The address determination circuit has an optical branching section which divides the optical packet into branches, in which each of the branched optical packet contains the same original data, a delay section which delays at least one of the branched optical packets, a bit determination section which determines each bit value of the branched optical packets, and a logic operation section which performs a logic operation on the bit values of the branched optical packets determined by the bit determination section. The delay section delays the branched optical packets so that the logic operation section performs the logic operation on a bit assigned the destination address or the source address and a bit having a predetermined bit value in synchronization with each other.