Wireless router system

摘要

Conventional routers employ a wired backplane that employs “long reach” serializer/deserializer (SerDes) links, but this type of architecture is complicated, costly, and uses a considerable amount of power. To address some of these issues, a new wireless backplane architecture is provided here. This wireless backplane employs direct millimeter wave links between line cards that replaces the convention, wired switching fabric.

主权项

1. An apparatus comprising:
a printed circuit board (PCB); a plurality of ports that are each secured to the PCB; a forwarding circuit that is secured to the PCB, wherein the forwarding circuit is in communication with each of the plurality of ports; and a plurality of input/output (IO) circuits, wherein each IO circuit is secured to the PCB and is in communication with the forwarding circuit, and wherein each IO circuit is configured to provide a millimeter wave link in a direction extending from the PCB, and wherein the plurality of IO circuits are arranged on the PCB and spaced apart from one another so as to isolate each millimeter wave link; wherein the forwarding circuit is in communication with the plurality of ports by a first set of serializer/deserializer (SerDes) links, and wherein the forwarding circuit is in communication with the plurality of IO circuits by a second set of SerDes links; wherein the PCB further comprises a top surface and a bottom surface, and wherein the millimeter wave link for each IO circuit further comprises: a first transmit link that is configured to transmit data to a receiver facing the top surface of the PCB; a first receive link that is configured to receive data from a transmitter facing the top surface of the PCB; a second transmit link is configured to transmit data to a receiver facing the bottom surface of the PCB; and a second receive link that is configured to receive data from a transmitter facing the bottom surface of the PCB; wherein each IO circuit further comprises a transceiver that is secured to the top surface of the PCB, that is communication with the forwarding circuit, and that provides the first transmit link and the first receive link; and wherein the PCB further comprises a plurality of radio frequency (RF) windows, wherein each RF window is substantially aligned with the transceiver from at least one of the IO circuits so that the transceiver provides the second transmit link and the second receive link.