# US 2014/0153868 A1 · Optical Bus System > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0153868 A1 - Document ID: US20140153868A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/174,119 - Filed: 2014-02-06 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2004-11-03 - Assignees: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Applicants: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Inventors: David Martin Fenwick; Richard J. Luebs; Terrel L. Morris; Duane A. Wegher; Jeffrey D. Yetter - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140153868A1 ## CPC - G02B 6/354: {Switching arrangements, i.e. number of input/output ports and interconnection types} - H04Q 11/0005: {Switch and router aspects} - H04Q 2011/0047: {Broadcast; Multicast} - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - H04Q: SELECTING (switches, relays, selectors H01H; wireless communication networks H04W) ## Abstract Systems are provided having, for example, at least first and second processing units, an optical bus system coupled to the at least first and second processing units, and an optical bus controller coupled to the optical bus system. The optical bus system includes a plurality of optical switches and each optical switch includes, for example, at least a first switch state for directing light in at least a first direction and a second switch state for directing light in at least a second direction. Methods for optical bus communication are also provided. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-31. (canceled) ### Claim 32 An optical bus for a multi-processing unit system, the bus comprising: a plurality of optical switches, each optical switch comprising at least a first switch state for directing light in at least a first direction and a second switch state for directing light in at least a second direction; and an optical bus controller coupled to the plurality of optical switches. ### Claim 33 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein: said plurality of optical switches are arranged in two arrays between a number of inputs and a number of outputs; in a first of said two arrays of optical switches, each switch corresponds to one of said inputs and has an unimpeded line of sight to each switch in a second of said two arrays of optical switches; and, in the second array of optical switches, each switch corresponds to one of said outputs and has an unimpeded line of sight to each switch in said first array. ### Claim 34 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein said optical bus controller coupled to the plurality of optical switches is for individually controlling a state of each optical switch in said array of optical switches so as to selectively create an optical path through said optical bus system between any of said inputs and any of said outputs. ### Claim 35 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein at least one optical switch comprises a movable member. ### Claim 36 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein at least one optical switch comprises a voltage controlled movable element. ### Claim 37 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein at least one optical switch comprises a liquid crystal. ### Claim 38 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the optical bus controller is operable to change the state of at least one optical switch. ### Claim 39 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the optical bus controller is operable to change the state of at least one optical switch based on monitoring a fault status of a processor receiving data through said optical bus. ### Claim 40 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the optical bus controller is operable to change the state of at least one optical switch based on monitoring a load status. ### Claim 41 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the optical bus controller configures the optical switches to provide a communication channel to at least one processor of the multi-processing unit system. ### Claim 42 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the optical bus controller configures the optical switches to provide a first communication channel to at least a first processing unit and a second communication channel to at least a second processing unit of the multi-processing unit system. ### Claim 43 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the optical bus controller configures the optical switches to channel data destined for the first processing unit to the second processing unit. ### Claim 44 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, further comprising: at least first and second processing units, each processing unit to store, retrieve and process data, each processing unit communicating with an optical transceiver; said optical bus optically coupled to an optical transceiver corresponding to each of the at least first and second processing units; wherein the optical bus controller is operable to change the state of at least one optical switch based on monitoring a fault status of either said first or second processing unit, a fault indicating that a respective processing unit is not fully functional. ### Claim 45 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said optical switches comprises a cavity between two layers of material, said cavity containing a liquid that is selectively heated into a gas to change that optical switch from said first switch state to said second switch state. ### Claim 46 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one optical switch comprises a bottom layer made of silica and a top layer made of silicon, said liquid having a same index of refraction as said silica. ### Claim 47 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, further comprising: electrodes for selectively heating said liquid into a gas to change that optical switch from said first switch state to said second switch state. ### Claim 48 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the electrodes are disposed in an upper layer of said two layers of material. ### Claim 49 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the optical bus controller comprises logic for monitoring and changing a distribution of data between at least first and second processing units based on a fault status of either of said first and second processing units. ### Claim 50 An optical bus for a multi-processing unit system, the bus comprising: a plurality of optical switches arranged in two arrays between a number of inputs and a number of outputs, each optical switch comprising at least a first switch state for directing light in at least a first direction and a second switch state for directing light in at least a second direction, wherein at least one of said optical switches comprises a cavity between two layers of material, said cavity containing a liquid that is selectively heated into a gas to change that optical switch from said first switch state to said second switch state; wherein, in a first of said two arrays of optical switches, each switch has an unimpeded line of sight to each switch in a second of said two arrays of optical switches; and an optical bus controller coupled to the plurality of optical switches for individually controlling a state of each optical switch in said array of optical switches so as to selectively create an optical path through said optical bus system between any of said inputs and any of said outputs. ### Claim 51 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, further comprising: at least first and second processing units, each processing unit to store, retrieve and process data, each processing unit communicating with an optical transceiver; said optical bus being optically coupled to an optical transceiver corresponding to each of the at least first and second processing units; wherein the optical bus controller is operable to change the state of at least one optical switch based on monitoring a fault status of either said first or second processing unit, a fault indicating that a respective processing unit is not fully functional.