Telecommunications switch with improved redundancy

A programmable telecommunications switch comprising:

• a switching matrix for dynamically connecting and disconnecting communications paths between a plurality of communication channels;
• a first line card configured to receive telecommunications signals and transmit the telecommunications signals to predetermined ones of said plurality of communication channels of the switching matrix, wherein the first line card is independently instructable to transmit to any of the plurality of communication channels;
• a second line card configured to receive said telecommunications signals and further configured to be independently instructable to transmit the telecommunications signals to predetermined ones of said plurality of communication channels of the switching matrix
• an input/output I/O bus configured to carry telecommunications signals;
• an active I/O card, coupled to and associated with the first line card, configured to terminate a plurality of external spans carrying telecommunications signals and which has a plurality of connection modes, a first mode connecting the external spans in a communicating relationship to the first line card and a second mode connecting the spans in a communicating relationship to the I/O bus, the active I/O card changing from one mode to the other in response to a changeover signal;
• a standby I/O card having a plurality of connection modes, a first connection mode connecting the second line card in a communicating relationship to the I/O bus, and a second mode disconnecting the second line card from the I/O bus, the standby I/O card changing from one mode to another in response to a standby signal;
• and
• a data processor configured to instruct the second line card to transmit said received telecommunications signals to the same predetermined one of said communication channels previously used by the first line card and to generate the changeover signal and the standby signal to functionally replace the first line card with the second line card.

A programmable telecommunications switch comprising:

• a switching matrix for dynamically connecting and disconnecting communications paths between a plurality of communication channels;
• a plurality of independently instructable and functionally compatible line cards, coupled to the switching matrix, each of the plurality of line cards configured to receive at least one telecommunications signal and transmit the received telecommunications signal to one or more of the plurality of communication channels of the switching matrix, each line card further configured to transmit the received telecommunications signal to one or more of the plurality of communication channels of the switch in accordance with an externally generated instruction;
• a plurality of active input/output I/O cards each of which terminates a plurality of external spans carrying telecommunications signals and each of which has a plurality of connection modes including a first mode in which the spans are connected in communicating relationship with an associated one of said plurality of line cards, the mode of each active I/O card being changeable in response to one of a plurality of distinct changeover signals each specific to a different active I/O card;
• a plurality of I/O busses arranged such that each active I/O card connects the spans it terminates to a different one of said I/O busses for each of its connection modes other than the first mode;
• a plurality of standby I/O cards each having a plurality of connection modes and being arranged such that different connection modes of a standby I/O card correspond to a line card by that standby I/O card being connected to a different one of the I/O busses, the connection mode of each standby I/O card being changeable in response to one of a plurality of distinct standby signals each specific to a different standby I/O card;
• and
• a data processor, responsive to a malfunctioning line card transmitting the telecommunications signal to a first communication channel of the switch matrix configured to generate an instruction signal to an operational one of the plurality of line cards to transmit the telecommunications signal to the same communication channels of the switch matrix previously used by the malfunctioning card, and to generate a particular one of the changeover signals and a particular one of the standby signals to functionally replace the malfunctioning line card with the operational line card.

A programmable telecommunications switch having a switching matrix for dynamically connecting and disconnecting communication paths between a plurality of communication channels, a first line module arranged to receive at least one telecommunications signal and transmit the telecommunications signal to the switching matrix, and a second line module arranged to receive at least one telecommunications signal and transmit the telecommunications signal to the switching matrix, each of the line modules being functionally compatible and independently instructable to transmit a received telecommunications signal to any one of the plurality of communication channels, the switch comprising:

• an input device configured to terminate an external span having at least one conductor carrying at least one telecommunications signal, the input device having a plurality of connection modes, a first mode being such that the span is connected in a communicating relationship to the first line module and a second mode being such that the span is connected in a communicating relationship to the second line module, the input device changing from the first mode to the second mode in response to a changeover signal;
• and
• a data processor configured to respond to a malfunction of the first line module by instructing the second line module to transmit received telecommunications signals to the switching matrix and further configured to generate the changeover signal to functionally replace the first line module with the second line module.

In a programmable telecommunications switch, having a switching matrix for dynamically connecting and disconnecting communication paths between a plurality of communication channels and a first independently instructable line module arranged to receive a telecommunications signal and transmit the telecommunications signal to a first predetermined communication channel of said plurality of communication channels of the switching matrix, a method of rerouting the telecommunications signal upon a malfunction of the first line module, the method comprising:

• providing a second independently instructable line module functionally compatible with the first line module, arranged to receive said telecommunications signal and transmit the telecommunications signal to said plurality of communication channels of the switching matrix in accordance with an instruction signal;
• providing an active input device which terminates an external span carrying the telecommunications signal and which has a plurality of connection modes, a first mode being such that the span is connected in a communicating relationship to the first line module and a second mode being such that the span is connected in a communicating relationship to the second line module, the active input device changing from the first mode to the second mode in response to a changeover signal;
• providing a data processor which is responsive to a malfunction of the first line module;
• generating, by the data processor, an instruction signal to the second line module to cause the second line module to transmit said telecommunications signal over said first communication channel of the switching matrix;
• and
• generating the changeover signal with the data processor in response to a malfunction of the first line module, thereby decoupling the first line module from the switch matrix and functionally replacing the first line module with the second line module, the second line module thereafter transmitting the telecommunications signal to said first communication channel of the switch matrix.

In a programmable telecommunications switch having a switching matrix for dynamically connecting and disconnecting communications paths between a plurality of communication channels, first and second functionally compatible and independently instructable line cards arranged to receive telecommunications signals and transmit the telecommunications signals to a selected one of the plurality of communication channels of the switching matrix, a method of rerouting a telecommunications signal from the first line card to the second line card, wherein the first line card is transmitting the telecommunications signal to a first communication channel, the method comprising:

• providing an I/O bus arranged to carry telecommunications signals;
• providing an active I/O card which terminates a plurality of external spans carrying telecommunications signals and has a plurality of connection modes, a first mode connecting the spans in a communicating relationship to the first line card, and a second mode connecting the spans in a communicating relationship to the I/O bus;
• providing a standby I/O card having a plurality of connection modes, a first connection mode connecting the second line card in a communicating relationship to the I/O bus, and a second mode disconnecting the second line card from the I/O bus;
• providing a data processor which is responsive to a malfunction of the first line card;
• instructing the second line card to transmit the telecommunication signal to said first communication channel;
• and
• generating with the data processor, upon malfunction of the first line card, a standby signal which is received by the standby I/O card and causes the standby I/O card to change from one mode to another, and a changeover signal which is received by the active I/O card and causes the active I/O card to change from one mode to the other to functionally replace the first line card with the second line card, the telecommunications signal thereafter received by the second line card and transmitted by the second line card to the first communication channel of the switch matrix.

In a programmable telecommunications switch having a switching matrix for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communications paths between a plurality of communication channels and a plurality of functionally compatible and independently instructable line cards each arranged to receive a telecommunications signal and transmit the telecommunications signal to a selectable one of the plurality of communication channels of the switching matrix, a method of providing redundancy to the line cards, the method comprising:

• providing a plurality of active I/O cards, each of which terminates a plurality of external spans carrying telecommunications signals and each of which has a plurality of connection modes including a first mode in which it connects the spans to a line card associated with that active I/O card;
• providing a plurality of I/O busses arranged such that each active I/O card connects the spans it terminates to a different one of said I/O busses for each of its connection modes other than the first mode;
• providing a plurality of standby I/O cards each having a plurality of connection modes and being arranged such that different connection modes of a standby I/O card correspond to a line card associated with that standby I/O card being connected to a different one of the I/O busses;
• providing a data processor which is responsive to a malfunction of one of the line cards, the malfunctioning line card configured to transmit the telecommunications signal to a first communication channel of the switch matrix;
• generating with the data processor, in response to a malfunction of one of the line cards, a distinct changeover signal specific to a particular active I/O card associated with the malfunctioning line card to change the mode of said particular active I/O card, and a distinct standby signal specific to a particular standby I/O card to change the connection mode of said particular standby I/O card, the resulting mode change of the particular I/O card and standby I/O card resulting in the spans terminated on the particular I/O card being connected to a designated I/O bus and the particular standby I/O card connecting the line card with which it is associated to said designated I/O bus;
• and
• instructing the line card associated with the particular standby I/O card to transmit the telecommunications signal to the first communication channel of the switch matrix.