Multiple stage cross connect switch
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorMichael B. Libeskind
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cross connect switch has a plurality of stages. Each stage has a plurality of packers, a plurality of memory portions and a plurality of multiplexers. Each packer receives input data and provides the input data as a set of contiguous valid data. The multiplexers divide the valid data from one of the packers into a plurality of data subsets and route each data subset to a respective memory portion of that stage. Each stage except the final stage provides the data in the memory portions of that stage as a respective set of inputs to a next one of the stages. The final stage includes a plurality of multiplexers for selecting a respective subset of the data from each of the memory portions of the final stage and provides the selected data at a plurality of respective selected output ports.
Claims23
A cross connect switch, comprising:
- a plurality of stages, each comprising:
- a plurality of packers, each receiving at least one set of input data and providing the input data as a set of contiguous valid data,
- a plurality of memory portions, and
- a plurality of multiplexers for dividing the valid data from one of the packers into a plurality of data subsets and providing each data subset to a respective memory portion of that stage;
- each one of the stages except a final one of the stages providing the data in the memory portions of that one stage as a respective set of inputs to a next one of the stages;
- the final stage including a plurality of multiplexers for selecting a respective subset of the data from each of the memory portions thereof and providing the selected data at a plurality of respective selected output ports.
A method for switching data, comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving at least one set of data as input to one of a plurality of stages;
- (b) dividing the input data into a plurality of data subsets;
- (c) providing each data subset to a respective memory portion;
- (d) providing the data in each memory portion as a respective set of input data to a next stage, if that memory portion is not included in a last one of the plurality of stages, wherein steps (a), (b), (c) and (d) are performed for each respective one of the plurality of stages;
- (e) selecting a respective subset of the data from memory portions of the last stage of the plurality of stages;
- and
- (f) providing the selected data at a plurality of respective selected output ports.
A method for switching data, comprising the steps of:
- (a) performing the following steps (a1) to (a4) for each value of i from 1 to n, where i and n are integers, and n is a number of stages, n being greater than one:
- (a1) receiving at least one set of stage i input data;
- (a2) dividing the stage i input data into a plurality of stage i data subsets;
- (a3) providing each stage i data subset to a respective stage i memory portion;
- (a4) providing the data in each stage i memory portion as a respective set of stage i+1 input data, if i is less than n;
- (b) selecting a respective subset of the data from each of the stage n memory portions;
- and
- (c) providing the selected data at a plurality of respective selected output ports.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.