Patent · US Expired

Growable packet switch architecture

US4955017A · kind A · utility

35Cited by
8References
3Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 29, 1989
Grant dateSep 4, 1990
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 29, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L49/55
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

This invention is large N.times.N packet switch, formed using a plurality of smaller packet switches. The invention comprises an N input, L output interconnect fabric (L>N), and a plurality of J.times.K smaller packet switches (J>K). Each of the J inputs to each packet switch is connected to a separate one of the L outputs of the interconnect fabric, and each of the K outputs from each packet switch is connected to a destination equipment. In operation, packets are received at the N inputs to the interconnect fabric, and each packet is routed to one of the inputs of the packet switch associated with the destination user equipment for the packet. Simultaneous packets, up to J in number, are routed to separate inputs of a particular packet switch for distribution to their respective destinations, while all other simultaneous packets destined for user equipments associated with the same packet switch are lost, the probability of such a loss being acceptably small.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.