Patent ID: 6452926
Filing Date: 2002-09-17
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A composite switch for switching cells incoming to the composite switch to output ports of the composite switch, the composite switch comprising:a first stage comprising first switch elements having a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports, the first switch elements being arranged to distribute a cell incoming to one of its input ports to one of its output ports, said one of its output ports being selected at random; a second stage comprising second switch elements and a third stage comprising third switch elements, each of the second and third switch elements having a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports and each of the second and third switch elements being arranged to switch a cell incoming to one of its input ports to a definite one of its output ports, as determined by information in regard of each cell switched through the switch element; output ports of the first switch elements being connected to input ports of the second switch elements, so that at least one output of each first switch element is connected to one input port of each second switch element; output ports of the second switch elements being connected to input ports of the third switch elements, so that at least one output of each second switch element is connected to one input port of each third switch element; and wherein each first switch element comprises at least two parallel planes which work independently of each other and wherein redundancy terminating units are connected to the output ports of the first switch elements for selecting cells from only one of the at least two parallel planes.