Patent ID: 7863888
Filing Date: 2011-01-04
Classification: G01R,H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
1. A switching topology for automatic test equipment, comprising: a plurality of switching circuits for conveying, without interruption, propagating signals to alternative signal paths, each of the plurality of switching circuits having first through fourth nodes, wherein the first and second nodes are connectable to the third and fourth nodes, respectively, to form a THROUGH connection, or to the fourth and third nodes, respectively, to form a CROSSED connection, wherein each of the first through fourth nodes of any of the plurality of switching circuits is connected to at most one of the first through fourth nodes of all the others of the plurality of switching circuits, wherein the plurality of switching circuits is arranged in the form of at least first through third N-by-N switching units each comprising at least one of the plurality of switching circuits, wherein N/2 nodes of the first N-by-N switching unit are coupled to N/2 nodes of the third N-by-N switching unit, and wherein N/2 nodes of the second N-by-N switching unit are coupled to N/2 nodes of the third N-by-N switching unit.