Self-routing switching element and fast packet switch

A packet switch comprising:

• a plurality of input controllers, each having an input controller forward output and each having an input controller reverse input;
• wherein each of said input controllers is adapted to transmit input packet signals on an input controller forward output for transmission through said switching elements to one of said output controllers, each of said input controllers including retransmit means to attempt to retransmit the input packet signals on the input controller forward output in response to a reverse signal,
• a plurality of output controllers each having an output controller forward input and each having an output controller reverse output;
• a plurality of switching elements cascaded together from switching elements in a first stage to switching elements in a last stage for interconnecting said plurality input controllers and said plurality of output controllers,
• each said switching element including,
• a plurality of input modules, each having an input module forward input for receiving forward packet signals having tags, each having input module forward outputs for transmitting the forward packet signals having tags, each having input module reverse inputs for receiving reverse input module signals, each having an input module reverse output for transmitting reverse input module signals,
• a plurality of output modules, each having output module forward inputs for receiving forward packet signals, each having an output module forward output for transmitting forward packet signals, each having an output module reverse input for receiving reverse output module signals, each having output module reverse outputs for transmitting reverse output module signals,
• signal path means providing a plurality of signals path establishing a forward signal path between the forward outputs of each of said plurality of input modules and the forward inputs of each of said plurality of output modules, and for establishing a reverse signal path between the reverse outputs of each of said plurality of output modules and the reverse inputs of each of said plurality of input modules,
• each said switching element operable to transmit said forward packet signals to one of said plurality of output modules,
• detector means for detecting that a particular one of said input modules has a particular one of said packet signals for transmission to a particular one of said output modules,
• determining means for determining if said particular one of said output modules will accept said particular one of said incoming packet signals,
• enable means responsive to said determining means for enabling transmission of said particular one of said incoming packet signals for acceptance by said particular one of said output modules,
• said switching elements cascaded in stages from a first stage including first stage switching elements to a last stage including last stage switching elements with the output module forward outputs of the switching elements of one stage connected to the input module forward inputs of the switching elements of the next stage, and with the input module reverse outputs of the switching elements of one stage connected to the output module reverse inputs of the switching elements of the previous stage,
• said input module forward inputs for said first stage switching elements connected to receive incoming packet signals from said input controller forward outputs, and said input module reverse outputs for said first stage switching elements connected to provide reverse signals to said input controller reverse inputs,
• said output module forward outputs for said last stage switching elements connected to transmit packet signals to said output controller forward inputs, and said output module reverse inputs for said last stage switching elements connected to receive reverse signals from said output controller reverse outputs, and wherein for said packet switch the reverse signal is a rejection signal and said retransmit means includes means operative to attempt to retransmit the input packet signals until transmission occurs without detection of a rejection signal.