Network switches configured to employ optical or electrical interfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10645027-B2
Application number	US-201715716454-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2017
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	May 5, 2020
Grant date	May 5, 2020

Abstract

Introduced here are several embodiments of network switch modules having interfaces designed to enable use of different voltages or currents. Accordingly, a network switch may be able to support both optical interfaces and electrical interfaces on the same printed circuit board (e.g., a line card or a fabric card). In some embodiments, the printed circuit board includes a “booster stage” electrical interface that is designed specifically for optical interfaces. Such a design enables the components of a switch to operate with both electrical interfaces and optical interfaces.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A network switch, comprising:
an optical interface comprising a first plurality of pins and a first voltage transformer circuit, wherein the first plurality of pins includes a first power pin and the first voltage transformer circuit is configured to provide a step down voltage to the first power pin;
an electrical interface comprising a second plurality of pins and a second voltage transformer circuit, wherein the second plurality of pins includes a second power pin, wherein the second voltage transformer circuit is configured to provide a step up voltage to the second power pin, wherein the first power pin is located at a same respective position within the optical interface as the second power pin within the electrical interface; and
a processor operatively coupled to the optical interface and the electrical interface, wherein the first power pin of the optical interface and the second power pin of the electrical interface consume different amounts of electrical power despite sharing the respective power pin position.

2. A network switch, comprising:
a first interface comprising a first plurality of pins and having a first power pin located in a first position;
a second interface comprising a second plurality of pins and having a second power pin located in a second position different than the first position; and
a printed circuit board including a power component configured to controllably supply power to the first power pin of the first interface and the second power pin of the second interface, wherein the power component is configured to step down voltage to the first power pin in the event the first power pin is an optical power pin and step up voltage to the second power pin in the event the second power pin is an electrical power pin.

3. The network switch of claim 2 , wherein the first interface is an optical interface and the second interface is an electrical interface.

4. The network switch of claim 2 , wherein the power component is configured to:
supply a first voltage to the first interface via the first power pin; and
supply a second voltage to the second interface via the second power pin,
wherein the first voltage is different than the second voltage.

5. The network switch of claim 2 , wherein the second interface includes a voltage transformer circuit.

6. The network switch of claim 2 , wherein the power component is configured to:
supply a first current to the first interface via the first power pin; and
supply a second current to the second interface via the second power pin,
wherein the first current is different than the second current.

7. The network switch of claim 6 , wherein the second interface includes a current boost circuit.

8. The network switch of claim 2 , further comprising:
a substrate onto which the first interface and the second interface are mounted, wherein the substrate is fixedly attached to the printed circuit board.

9. The network switch of claim 8 , further comprising:
a processor configured with a routing table to connect each of the first interface and the second interface with at least one other interface.

10. The network switch of claim 9 , wherein the substrate includes:
a first electrical trace that electrically interconnects the processor and the first interface; and
a second electrical trace that electrically interconnects the processor and the second interface.

11. The network switch of claim 10 , wherein the first electrical trace and the second electrical trace are embedded within the substrate.

12. The network switch of claim 10 , wherein the first interface and the second interface consume substantially identical amounts of electrical power because the first electrical trace is shorter than the second electrical trace.

13. A method for manufacturing network switches having one or more interfaces that are interoperable with optical interfaces and electrical interfaces, the method comprising:
receiving a substrate suitable for electrically separating items mounted thereon;
mounting a processor to the substrate;
mounting an optical interface to the substrate, wherein the optical interface comprises a first plurality of pins and a first voltage transformer circuit, wherein the first plurality of pins includes a first power pin and the first voltage transformer circuit is configured to provide a step down voltage to the first power pin;
electrically interconnecting the optical interface to the processor using a first electrical trace;
mounting an electrical interface to the substrate, wherein the electrical interface comprises a second plurality of pins and a second voltage transformer circuit, wherein the second plurality of pins includes a second power pin, wherein the second voltage transformer circuit is configured to provide a step up voltage to the second power pin, wherein the first power pin is located at a same respective position within the optical interface as the second power pin within the electrical interface; and
electrically interconnecting the electrical interface to the processor using a second electrical trace, wherein the optical interface and the electrical interface share the same respective power pin position.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first electrical trace or the second electrical trace is at least partially exposed through the substrate.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
installing the first voltage transformer circuit on the optical interface.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
installing the second voltage transformer circuit on the electrical interface.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
installing a current boost circuit on the optical interface,
wherein the current boost circuit is configured to boost current received at a power pin.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the optical interface and the electrical interface consume substantially identical amounts of electrical power because the second electrical trace is shorter than the first electrical trace.

Assignees

• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Schmidtke Katharine Emily

Classifications

• H04L49/15 Primary

  Interconnection of switching modules · CPC title

• H04L49/10

  characterised by the switching fabric construction · CPC title

• H04Q11/0003

  Details · CPC title

• H04Q1/28

  Current-supply circuits or arrangements for selection equipment at exchanges · CPC title

• H04L49/111

  Switch interfaces, e.g. port details · CPC title