Self-routing switch node combining electronic and photonic switching
US4731878A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 29, 1985 |
| Grant date | Mar 15, 1988 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 29, 2005 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04Q2011/0052
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A switch node for the communication of circuit switched and packet information via parallel electrical and photonic connections within the node between input links and output links. The links each have electrical and optical sublinks. A node is responsive to an address received via the electrical sublink of an input link to establish both an electrical and photonic connection for the subsequent communication of both electrical and photonic data to an output link designated by the address. The switch node selects the designated output link from a set of similarly address designated output links all of which are equally capable of establishing the path. Based on this type of selection within the node, a switching network with a plurality of stages using the nodes has multipaths between any given input port to any output port.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.