Communication systems

• US 20040131087A1
• Filed: 02/24/2004
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROKE Manor Research Limited (Chemring Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: ROKE Manor Research Limited (Chemring Group PLC)
• Inventors: Mctiffin, Michael John, Stevens, Roderick Leonard Wallace, Webb, Paul Roderick
• Granted Patent: US 7,529,483 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/498
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0024 using space switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0033 using time division switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0039 Electrical control
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/005 Arbitration and scheduling

Abstract

A communication system for the mutual interconnection of a plurality of lower traffic level (5 Terabit) switch nodes via a relatively higher traffic level (Petabit) connection bus, which system comprises in operative association with each node, a two part TDM optical data management interface, wherein a first of the two parts comprises a time slot resequencer which serves to provide for the transmission of data from its associated node to the bus, and wherein a second of the two parts comprises a time slot specific combiner which serves for the transmission of data from the bus to its associated node, each node and the bus having independent data scheduling.

Claims

1. A communication system for the mutual interconnection of a plurality of switch nodes via a connection bus comprising in operative association with each node, a two part TDM data management interface, wherein:

a first of the two parts comprises a time slot resequencer which serves to provide for the transmission of data from its associated node to the bus,

and wherein

a second of the two parts comprises a time slot specific combiner which serves for the transmission of data from the bus to its associated node,

each node and the bus having independent data scheduling, the switch nodes being operational at a lower traffic transmission level than the connection bus.

2. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the communication system is a TDM optical system, data being transmitted optically between the switch nodes, the interface, and the bus.

3. A communication system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the timeslot resequencer of each interface comprises an optical splitter fed from its associated switch node and coupled to the bus via a timeslot selector, a time delay device, and an optical combiner which feeds the bus.

4. A communication system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the timeslot-specific combiner of each interface comprises a time delay device, a timeslot selector and an optical combiner via which its associated switch node is fed from the bus.

5. A communication system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the switch nodes of the system each comprise ingress ports coupled to the timeslot resequencer of an associated interface, and egress ports coupled via grating means and a time slot selector to the time slot-specific combiner of this associated interface.

6. A communication system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the interface is arranged to provide for 5 Terabit coupling between the switch nodes and the bus, and for Petabit coupling between the bus and the switch nodes.

7. A communication system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the switch nodes each comprise a 128×

128 switch fabric.

8. A communication system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.