Method and installation for switching packets

Claim 2

Method according to claim 1, characterised in that for a finite number of said inputs (n) which is at least 8, said constant (L) is between 5 and 25.

Claim 3

Method according to claim 1, characterised in that said first transmission cells have a serial nature with a first word wirdth and said second transmission cells have a parallel nature with a second word width being greater than said first word width.

Claim 4

Method according to claim 3, characterised in that the ratio between said second transmission speed (s2) of said second transmission cells and said first traansmission speed (s1) of said first transmission cells, both transmission speeds being expressed in bits per second, is equal to the ration between said second word width and said first word width, both word widths being expressed in bits.

Claim 5

Method according to claim 3, characterised in that packets being transmitted by said second transmission cells towards said selected output, are converted back into packets having a serial nature with a word width which is equal to said first word width.

Claim 6

Switching system, comprising a number of inputs (I1...n) and a number of outputs (U1...m), for switching data packets having a serial nature and each comprising a control code, from one of said inputs at which such packet arrives to one of said outputs, that one of said outputs being selected by said control code, comprising for each (Ux) of said outputs (U1...m) a transmission element (11) having an input (SIx) and an output (SUx), for shifting, at a second transmission speed, second transmission cells from said transmission element input towards said transmission element output, which transmission element also comprises further inputs (S1...n) being connected on one side to control elements (10) which, on another side, are connected to said inputs (I1...n) of the switching system for detecting said control code of each arriving packet, for each of said switching system inputs (I1...n), a serial/parallel conversion element (14) for converting, at a first transmission speed, packets originating from said respective switching system inputs and having a serial nature and a first word width, into packets which have a parallel nature and a second word witdth which is greater than said first word width, characterised in that said second transmission speed, in bits per second, of said second transmission cells in said transmission element (11) is equal to the product of a constant (L) and said first transmission speed, which constant is equal to a common fraction of the number of said inputs (n) of the switching system, said system further comprising a parallel/serial conversion element for converting packets having a parallel nature and said second word width and originating from said output (SUx) of the transmission element (11) into packets which have a serial nature and a word width which is equal to said first word width, said parallel/serial conversion element being formed by a packet buffer (B) being connected between said output (SUx) of said transmission element and said selected output (Ux) of the switching system, which packet buffer, on the side thereof connected to said transmission element, is loaded in a parallel manner with said parallel packets originating from the output of said transmission element and, on the side of the output of the switching system, is read out in a serial manner, the packets read out having a word width equal to said first word width.

Claim 7

Switching system according to Claim 6, characterised by concentration modules (12), each of which comprise a number of the said transmission elements (11) and control elements (10), and also buffer modules (13), each of which comprise a number of the said buffers (B), which concentration modules, with one another and with the buffer modules, form a matrix, the inputs (I1...n) of the switching system on the one hand always being connected in part to the inputs of an array of concentration modules and the concentration modules, on the other hand, being connected to one another in series, the outputs of the final concentration module of such a series of concentration modules connected to one another being connected to the inputs of a buffer module, the outputs of which buffer module are connected to a group of outputs of the switching system and all of these groups of outputs together forming the outputs (U1...m) of the switching system.