Optical backplane
US4870637A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 24, 1987 |
| Grant date | Sep 26, 1989 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 24, 2007 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04Q1/155
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention relates to an optical backplane for use in a switching system or computer for interconnecting a plurality of associated circuit modules. The backplane comprises a switch which is interconnected to each of the associated circuit modules by a separate multifiber ribbon, each ribbon including (1) a plurality of transmit and receive optical fibers, and (2) an optical fiber for providing concurrent synchronization signals to each of the associated circuit modules. The switch includes a switching block for coupling parallel optical signals received from the plurality of receive optical fibers in any multifiber ribbon, transmitted by a sending module, to the transmit fibers of each of the multifiber ribbons for transmission to all of the modules associated with the optical backplane. The switch also includes a timing generation block which generates an optical timing signal that is simultaneously distributed to the separate optical fibers in each of the multifiber ribboons in order to concurrently synchronize all of the associated modules. Each of the associated modules is connected to the backplane via the separate associated optical multifiber ribbon, and includes …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.