Patent · US Expired

Scaleable low-latency switch for usage in an interconnect structure

US6289021A · kind A · utility

31Cited by
24References
23Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJan 20, 1998
Grant dateSep 11, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 20, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L2012/5684
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A scalable low-latency switch extends the functionality of a multiple level minimum logic interconnect structure for usage in computers of all types, networks and communication systems. The multiple level minimum logic interconnect structure employs a data flow technique based on timing and positioning of messages moving through the structure. The scalable low-latency switch is distributed throughout multiple nodes in the structure so that a supervisory controller providing a global control function and complex logic structures are avoided while the interconnect structure operates as a "deflection" or "hot potato" system in which processing and storage overhead at each node is reduced. The interconnect structure using the scalable low-latency switch employs a method of achieving wormhole routing through an integrated circuit chip by a novel procedure for inserting messages into the chip. Rather than simultaneously inserting a message into each unblocked node on the outer cylinder at every angle, messages are inserted simultaneously into two columns A and B only if an entire message fits between A and B. Messages are inserted into column 0 at time 0. Messages are inserted into colum…

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