Method and system for shortening the length of time gaps between data units in a data switching network

1. A method for shortening the length of time gaps between data units in a data switching network; the method comprising:

arranging a group of K data units received consecutively at an input of a first device in a time period of K units, where K is a positive integer, and where a timer period of one unit is a period of time necessary for receiving one data unit at the input of the first device;

sending the arranged K data units to the inputs of M devices, where M is a positive integer;

transferring a group of H j data units of the arranged K data units by a device j of the M devices from its inputs to its outputs within a time unit T x where the time period T x is less than or equal to one unit and, where H j is a positive integer and the sum of H j for j=1, . . . M is equal to K, where H j K;

arranging the data units sent to the devices of the M devices transferring during the time period T x such that no two inputs of the devices of the M devices transferring during the time period T x receive the same data unit at any moment; and

repeatedly combining and arranging the K data units from the outputs of the M devices by a second device such that the K data units appear at the output of the second device consecutively.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the data switching network is a slotted network.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein each data unit is a sequence of data bits whose total transmission time is smaller than a unit of time.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the data unit does not contain any information of the path to the destination of the data unit.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the data unit contains dummy bits that do not carry information, and a period of time without signal transmission is considered as a sequence of dummy bits.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the data switching network is a packet switching network.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein each data unit is a packet which contains header and payload, the header having information indicating the path to the destination of the packet.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the data switching network is an optical network.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first device is an optical splitter or an optical switch, with K outputs connecting to the inputs of the M devices such that K data units are sent to the M devices for each K unit time period.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising adding an optical delay element before the first device such that the K data units are delayed before entering the first device.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising adding an optical delay element after the outputs of the first device and before the inputs of the M devices such that the K data units are delayed before entering the M devices.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the optical delay elements at the inputs of the devices of the M devices are transferring data units within the same predefined time unit T x have different delay values such that no two inputs of the devices receive the same data unit at any time.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second device is an optical combiner or an optical switch with K inputs connecting to the outputs of the M devices such that the K data units are combined and sent via the output of the second device consecutively.

14. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising adding optical delay elements at the outputs of the M devices such that the K data units are delayed before entering the inputs of the second device.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the delay elements at the outputs of the M devices have different delay values such that the K data units from the outputs of the M devices appear consecutively at the output of the second device.

16. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising connecting a pilot message channel to a third device to describe the K data units sent to the inputs of the M devices such that the M devices are configured by the third device before the arrival of the K packets.

17. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the optical delay elements are variable and fixed delay value optical fiber delay lines.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the device j is an optical switch with reconfiguration time not larger than K−1 time units.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein K is greater than one.

20. A system for shortening the length of time gaps between data units in a data switching network; the system comprising:

a first device having an input receiving an arranged group of K data units consecutively in a time period of K units, where K is a positive integer, and where a time period of one unit is a period of time necessary for receiving one data unit;

M devices having inputs to receive the arranged K data units, where M is a positive integer;

a device j of the M devices to transfer a group of H j data units of the arranged K data units from its inputs to its outputs within a time unit T x , where time period T x is less than or equal to one unit, where H j is a positive integer and the sun of H j for j=1, . . . M is equal to K, where H j ≦K;

wherein the data units sent to the devices of the M devices transferring during the time period T x are arranged such that no two inputs of the devices of the M devices transferring during the time unit T x receive the same data unit at any moment; and

repeatedly combining and arranging the K data units from the outputs of the M devices by a second device such that the K data units appear at the output of the second device consecutively.

21. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the K time units required for the first device to receive the K data units comprise a time period of length L, where L is a positive real number.

22. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the K unit time period comprise a time period of length L, where L is a positive real number.

23. A method for shortening the length of time gaps between data units in a data switching network, the method comprising:

arranging a group of K data units received consecutively at an input of a first device in a time period of length L, where K is a positive integer and L is a positive real number;

sending the arranged K data units to the inputs of M devices, where M is a positive integer;

transferring a group of H j data units of the arranged K data units by a device j of the M devices from its inputs to its outputs within a time period T j of length L j , where H j is a positive integer and the sum of H j for j=1, . . . M is equal to K, where H j K, and L j is a positive real number, where L j L for j=1, . . . M;

arranging the data units sent to the devices of the M devices transferring during the time period T j such that no two inputs of the devices of the M devices transferring during the time period T j receive the same data unit at any moment for j=1, . . . M; and

repeatedly combining and arranging the K data units from the outputs of the M devices by a second device such that the K data units appear at the output of the second device consecutively.