US 7,013,361 B2Granted

Routing switcher with variable input/output architecture

AssigneeThe Grass Valley Group, Inc.

InventorJohn E. Liron

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Abstract

Conventional routing switchers have employed a fixed architecture, i.e. the input and output connectors of the switching matrix are fixed in function. Prior art routing switchers use fixed matrix sizes. This invention uses a variable input/output architecture to enable multiple matrix sizes to be implemented in a single product. Switches are used to connect a subset of input and output connectors to either an input pin or an output pin. These switches allow users to select the number of input connectors and output connectors available for their particular application. The invention enables a single product to replace a range of routing switchers of different sizes. The user can also reconfigure the routing switcher size should application requirements change. This allows the user to configure the routing switcher matrix size to exactly meet the application requirements.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method of selectively connecting one of a plurality of input receiving wires and one of a plurality of output transmitting wires to one of a plurality of selectable connectors in a signal routing circuit, the method comprising:

retrieving data representing a number of non-selectable input connectors and non-selectable output connectors and selectable input/output connectors from the circuit;
receiving data through an interface from a user representing a number of desired input connectors each to be connected to an input receiving wire;
comparing said number of desired input connectors to the sum of said non-selectable input connectors and a plurality of selectable input/output connectors;
repeating said receiving and comparing until the sum of said non-selectable input connectors and the plurality of selectable input/output connectors equals or exceeds the number of said desired input connectors;
calculating the number of available output connectors by adding the number of non-selectable input connectors, non-selectable output connectors, and selectable input/output connectors together and subtracting the number of desired input connectors therefrom;
displaying the number of available output connectors and desired input connectors using a display mechanism;
repeatedly connecting a selectable input/output connector to an input receiving wire until the sum of said non-selectable input connectors and the selectable input/output connectors connected to an input receiving wire equals the number of said desired input connectors;
repeatedly connecting all selectable input/output connector not so connected to an input receiving wire to an output transmitting wire.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/977,655Filed 12 Oct 2001 · us provisional application
Priority: 24 Jan 2001
Published: US 2002/0138684 A126 Sep 2002
Granted: 14 Mar 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

H04L 49/253
Routing or path finding in a switch fabric: using establishment or release of connections between ports
H04L 49/101
Characterised by the switching fabric construction: using crossbar or matrix
H04L
Digital communication