| 摘要 |
<p>This invention is directed toward providing higher speed local and/or metropolitan area optical networks by storing light in the fiber of an optical network to resolve collisions between advancing packets. One condition that needs to be resolved in packet-switched networks occurs when two packets attempt to exit a switching node (100,102,104,106) on the same output link. With this invention, collisions of optical packets are resolved by coupling all packets that cannot be forwarded onto the reverse links for transmission to the node they came from. With this invention, each branch of a network, for example, a star type of network, is provided with an optical fiber path (108,110,112) having two parallel opposite-directed, optical links which can be selectively configured to form either a direct straight throughput or a loop-back path. Prior to advancing a packet to the next occurring path, a test is made to determine if it is occupied with a packet. If it is not occupied, the packet is advanced along the forward optical link to the next node. If it is occupied, then the two optical links of the optical path directed to the previous node are very rapidly configured to form a loop-back path, and the packet is sent around the loop-back path, again and again, as required, until the path to the next node is cleared.</p> |
