COMMUNICATION NETWORK APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20080025313A1
• Filed: 10/05/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xiaolin Lu
• Original Assignee: Xiaolin Lu
• Inventors: LU, XIAOLIN
• Granted Patent: US 7,830,885 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/62 Wavelength based optical switching H04Q11/0062

Abstract

A communication network apparatus and method for routing communication signals from a source device to a receiving device. The apparatus performs only local processing on communication signals to thereby increase the speed of processing the signals. A plurality of the processing nodes are combined into a plurality of sub-networks that comprise the network apparatus. Each processing node of a sub-network need only process address information pertaining to the node'"'"'s current layer, one layer above it, if any, and one layer below it, if any. Additionally, each processing node has associated communication signal frequencies/wavelengths that identify the processing node as the intended recipient of the communication signal. When a communication signal having a carrier signal with a frequency/wavelength corresponding to the processing node is received, the processing node demodulates the carrier signal and forwards the communication signal data to a processing module used to process address information to determine how to route the communication signal through the network. Communication signals may be assigned “express” frequencies/wavelengths, in which case, all of the processing nodes, except the destination processing node, of the network pass the communication signal without performing processing on the communication signal.

Claims

1. A method of routing signals through a network, comprising:

receiving the signal at a first processing node;

passing a signal to a second processing node if the frequency or wavelength of the signal is not assigned to the first processing node; and

processing address information if the frequency or wavelength of the signal is assigned to the first processing node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of passing the signal to a second processing node further comprises passing the signal through a filter which directs signals of a first frequency or wavelength to a first output port, signals of a second frequency or wavelength to a second output port and signals of a third frequency or wavelength to a third output port.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first output port corresponds to a processing module of the first processing node, the second output port corresponds to an interface with processing nodes of a same sub-network, and the third output port corresponds to an interface with processing nodes of an above sub-network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is comprised of a plurality of layers and the step of processing address information further comprises:

reading a first address from a first address field of the address information, the first address field corresponding to a next higher layer in the network;

determining if the first address identifies a parent processing node; and

if the first address does not identify the parent processing node routing the signal to the parent processing node.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

reading a second address from a second address field if the first address does identify the parent processing node;

determining if the second address identifies a current processing node; and

if the second address does not identify the current processing node, routing the signal to another processing node in the same sub-network.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

reading a third address from a third address field if the second address does identify the current processing node; and

routing the signal to a processing node in a lower layer or a child device identified by the third address.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting a carrier signal to the second processing node in an above sub-network if the address information does not include an address for the second processing node.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting a carrier signal to the second processing node in a below sub-network or to a child device if the address information includes an address for a parent processing node and an address for the first processing node.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting a carrier signal to the second processing node in a same sub-network if the address information includes an address for a parent processing node and does not include an address for the first processing node.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising passing the signal to the second processing node if the frequency or wavelength of the signal is an express frequency or wavelength.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein if the frequency or wavelength of the signal is an express frequency of wavelength, the signal is passed to the second processing node without processing address information.

12. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of a method of routing signals through a network, comprising:

receiving the signal at a first processing node;

passing a signal to a second processing node if the frequency or wavelength of the signal is not assigned to the first processing node; and

processing address information if the frequency or wavelength of the signal is assigned to the first processing node.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the step of passing the signal to a second processing node further comprises passing the signal through a filter which directs signals of a first frequency or wavelength to a first output port, signals of a second frequency or wavelength to a second output port and signals of a third frequency or wavelength to a third output port.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first output port corresponds to a processing module of the first processing node, the second output port corresponds to an interface with processing nodes of a same sub-network, and the third output port corresponds to an interface with processing nodes of an above sub-network.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the network is comprised of a plurality of layers and the step of processing address information further comprises:

reading a first address from a first address field of the address information, the first address field corresponding to a next higher layer in the network;

determining if the first address identifies a parent processing node; and

if the first address does not identify the parent processing node routing the signal to the parent processing node.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

reading a second address from a second address field if the first address does identify the parent processing node;

determining if the second address identifies a current processing node; and

if the second address does not identify the current processing node, routing the signal to another processing node in the same sub-network.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

reading a third address from a third address field if the second address does identify the current processing node; and

routing the signal to a processing node in a lower layer or a child device identified by the third address.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising outputting a carrier signal to the second processing node in an above sub-network if the address information does not include an address for the second processing node.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising outputting a carrier signal to the second processing node in a below sub-network or to a child device if the address information includes an address for a parent processing node and an address for the first processing node.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising outputting a carrier signal to the second processing node in a same sub-network if the address information includes an address for a parent processing node and does not include an address for the first processing node.