Distributed type switching system

• US 6,304,570 B1
• Filed: 08/13/1999
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kato, Takao, Kuwahara, Hiroshi, Gohara, Shinobu, Sakurai, Yoshito, Ohtsuki, Kenichi, Amada, Eiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOM, SHICK C
• Application Number:
  US09/373,596
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 370/355, 370/369, 370/384, 370/389, 370/390, 370/392, 370/395, 370/396, 370/400
• US Class Current: 370/396
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/0012 Switching modules and their interconnections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/56 Packet switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6402 Hybrid switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5651 Priority, marking, classes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5652 Cell construction, e.g. including header, packetisation, depacketisation, assembly, reassembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5681 Buffer or queue management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6481 Speech, voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/101 using crossbar or matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/106 using space switching, e.g. crossbar or matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/1553 Interconnection of ATM switching modules, e.g. ATM switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/1584 Full Mesh, e.g. knockout
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/205 Quality of Service based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/25 Routing or path finding in a switch fabric
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/254 Centralised controller, i.e. arbitration or scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/255 Control mechanisms for ATM switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/256 Routing or path finding in ATM switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/30 Peripheral units, e.g. input or output ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3009 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3018 : Input queuing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3081 : ATM peripheral units, e.g. policing, insertion or extraction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/309 : Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/35 : Switches specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0407 : using a stored programme control
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0421 : Circuit arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/06 : Time-space-time switching

Abstract

A switching system for integratedly switching voice, data, image information and the like. The switching system comprises a plurality of front-end modules each adapted to perform a switching processing in association with a subscriber line or a trunk line, and a single or a plurality of central modules for interconnecting the plurality of front-end modules in star-type fashion and switching information prevailing between the front-end modules, in unit of block accommodating the information and a header added thereto to contain connection control information and in accordance with the contents of the header. The front-end modules are connected to the central module via inter-module highways each having frames occurring at a predetrmined period and time slots contained in each frame to carry blocks.

Claims

1. A switching system comprising:

a plurality of first modules, wherein each first module operates to determine a destination for information received from its first interface and, when said destination is determined to be another first module, outputs said received information with a header indicating said destination appended thereto through its second interface; and

a second module coupled to the second interfaces of each of said plurality of first modules and interconnecting said first modules, said second module self routes said received information to the second interface of said another first module at said destination based on said header.

2. The switching system according to claim 1, wherein said second module has a time switch function and a space switch function.

3. The switching system according to claim 1, wherein said received information is self routed in said second module in time multiplexed and spatial multiplexed fashion.

4. The switching system according to claim 1, wherein each of said first modules has stored therein information necessary for determining said destination of said received information and each first module appends said header based on said stored information.

5. A switching system comprising:

a plurality of first modules, wherein each first module operates to perform a call processing of information received from its first interface, and when a destination of said received information determined in said call processing is another first module, outputs said received information with a header indicating said destination appended thereto through its second interface; and

a second module coupled to second interfaces of each of said plurality of first modules to interconnect said first modules, said second module self routes said received information to the second interface of said another first module at said destination based on said header.

6. A switching system comprising:

a plurality of first modules, wherein each first module has first and second interfaces which transmit or receive information, a memory which stores and switches information and a controller;

said controller determines a destination of information received from said first interface and, when said destination is determined to be another first module, said controller controls said first and second interfaces and said memory to add a header indicating said destination to said received information and transfers said information to the second interface of said another first module at said destination; and

a second module coupled to the second interfaces of each of said plurality of first modules to interconnect said first modules, said second module self routes said received information to the second interface of said another first module at said destination based on said header.

7. A switching system comprising:

a plurality of switching modules, wherein each switching module determines a destination of information received from a first interface and, when said destination is determined to be another switching module, appends a header indicating said destination to said received information and transfers said received information with said header appended thereto to the second interface of said another switching module at said destination; and

a connecting module coupled to the second interfaces of each of said plurality of switching modules to interconnect said switching modules, said connecting module self routes said received information to the second interface of said another switching module at said destination based on said header.

8. The switching system according to claim 7, wherein each of said plurality of switching modules has a memory which stores and switches information and a controller, said controller determines said destination of information received from said first interface and, when said destination is determined to be another switching module, controls said first and second interfaces and said memory to append said header indicating said destination to said received information and transfers said received information with said header appended thereto to the second interface of said another switching module at said destination.

9. The switching system according to claim 7, wherein said connecting module has a time switch function and a space switch function.

10. The switching system according to claim 7, wherein said received information is transferred in said connecting module in time multiplexed and spatial multiplexed manner.

11. The switching system according to claim 7, wherein each of said first modules has stored therein information necessary for determining said destination of said received information and each first module appends said header based on said stored information.

12. A switching system comprising:

a plurality of first modules, wherein each first module determines a destination of information received from its first interface, and when the destination is determined to be another first module, outputs said received information with a header appended thereto indicating said destination in a fixed length packet through its second interface; and

a second module coupled to second interfaces of each of said plurality of first modules to interconnect said first modules, said second module self routes said fixed length packet to the second interface of said another first module at said destination based on said header.