# US 9,520,903 B2 · Interconnection fabric with protocol agnostic switch for flexible radio avionics > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,520,903 B2 - Document ID: US9520903B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/282,634 - Filed: 2014-05-20 - Published: 2015-11-26 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2014-05-20 - Assignees: Honeywell International Inc. - Applicants: Honeywell International Inc. - Inventors: Karel Adamek; Petr Kanovsky; Radek Zaruba; Martin Mlaskac - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9520903B2 ## CPC - H04B 1/0003: {Software-defined radio [SDR] systems, i.e. systems wherein components typically implemented in hardware, e.g. filters or modulators/demodulators, are implented using software, e.g. by involving an AD or DA conversion stage such that at least part of the signal processing is performed in the digital domain (digital baseband systems H04L25/00; digital modulation/demodulation H04L27/00; CDMA H04B1/707; TDMA H04B7/2643; image transmission H04N5/00)} - H04B 7/18506: {Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service} - H04B 10/25752: {Optical arrangements for wireless networks} - H04B 7/0602: {using antenna switching (H04B7/0686 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24)} - H04L 51/046: Interoperability with other network applications or services - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A radio system comprises a plurality of software defined radio units, and a plurality of digital data switches each in operative communication with at least one of the radio units, with the digital data switches operatively connected to each other. A plurality of antenna units are each in operative communication with at least one of the radio units through at least one of the digital data switches. A plurality of radio resources managers are each operatively coupled to one or more of the digital data switches, with each of the radio resources managers configured to control one or more of the digital data switches to route digital data between the radio units and the antenna units. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A radio system comprising: a plurality of software defined radio units; a plurality of digital data switches each in operative communication with at least one of the radio units, the digital data switches operatively connected to each other; a plurality of antenna units each in operative communication with at least one of the radio units through at least one of the digital data switches; and a plurality of radio resources managers each operatively coupled to one or more of the digital data switches, each of the radio resources managers configured to control one or more of the digital data switches to route digital data between the radio units and the antenna units; wherein each of the digital data switches is configured to receive control information from each of the radio resources managers; wherein the digital data switches support a failure-tolerant multi-master control scheme that provides a voting or other redundancy management mechanism that is activated when one of the radio resources managers has corrupted or missing control information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the digital data switches are respectively located in each of the radio units. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the digital data switches are located external to one or more of the radio units. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the radio resources managers are respectively located in each of the radio units. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the radio resources managers are located external to one or more of the radio units. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the digital data switches are protocol agnostic switches in which switching is controllable independently of the actual digital data and protocol being transferred in the radio system. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the digital data switches comprise electrical switches or optical switches. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the digital data switches comprise field programmable gate arrays. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the digital data switches comprise micro-electrical-mechanical systems (MEMS) optical switches. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the digital data switches is external to all of the radio units, and communicates with all of the radio units through the other digital data switches. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the digital data switches are each respectively connected to one or more waveform processing channels in each of the radio units. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more waveform processing channels are each configured to provide a single avionics waveform, or multiple avionics waveforms. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the digital data switches are operatively connected to each other through data lines comprising metal wiring or fiber optic cables. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the digital data switches is configured to simultaneously receive multiple waveform data signals from at least one of the waveform processing channels. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the antenna units is configured to process the multiple waveform data signals.