The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 19, 1995
Filed:
Oct. 19, 1993
Yuanyuan Yang, Baltimore, MD (US);
Gerald M Masson, Baltimore, MD (US);
The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (US);
Abstract
The present invention pertains to a nonblocking broadcast switching network. The network comprises an input stage. The input stage has N.sub.1 or n.sub.1 r.sub.1 input ports and r.sub.1 switches, where n.sub.1 .gtoreq.2 and r.sub.1 .gtoreq.1 and are integers. The network is also comprised of an output stage. The output stage has N.sub.2 or n.sub.2 r.sub.2 output ports and r.sub.2 switches, where n.sub.2 .gtoreq.2 and r.sub.1 .gtoreq.1 and are integers. There is also a middle stage. The middle stage has m switches where m is an integer and, where ##EQU1## The m switches are in communication with the r.sub.1 switches and r.sub.2 switches. The middle stage of m switches has L inputs, where L.gtoreq.r.sub.1 and is an integer, and J outputs, where J.gtoreq.r.sub.2 and is an integer, x or fewer of the m switches, where 1.gtoreq.x.gtoreq.min{n.sub.2 -1, r.sub.2 } and is an integer, always available to form a connection between an idle input port and a plurality of idle output ports, but no output port is connected to more than 1 input port. In a preferred embodiment, the controller is comprised of means for determining which middle stage switches are idle at a given time in the network. The controller is also comprised of means for choosing middle stage switches from only the idle middle stage switches to form a desired broadcast connection between an idle input port and a plurality of idle output ports. Preferably, the choosing means chooses the minimum number of idle middle stage switches to form the desired broadcast connection.