Electromechanical Switching

System
Chapter-2
Academic Year: 5th Year (Communication Engineering)
Semester: II (ECEg-5284) Switching and Intelligence Networks
Mr. SHADAB AHMAD
 Classification of Switching System
 In manual exchanges, a human operator and the elements like switches, plugs
and sacks were used to connect two subscribers.
 Around 1890’s many electromechanical switching devices were introduced.
 Till 1940, different Electromechanical switching system were invented, of
which strowger switching system and cross bar switching system were still
popular.
 The later invention of Electronic switching system (ESS) which uses stored
program control (SPC) and computer controlled switching systems are
presently dominating the worldwide exchanges.

 Further classifications of ESS are space division switching and time division
switching. The time division switching is divided into digital and analog
switching systems. 2
Classification of Switching System

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 The switching systems in the early stages were operated manually,
where the connections were made by the operators at the telephone
exchanges in order to establish a connection.
 To minimize the disadvantages of manual operation, automatic
switching systems were introduced.
 The Automatic switching systems are classified as the following:

A. Electromechanical Switching Systems - Here, mechanical

switches are electrically operated.

B. Electronic Switching Systems - Here, the usage of electronic

components such as diodes, transistors and ICs are used for the
switching purposes.

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 A. Electromechanical Switching Systems

 The Electromechanical switching systems are a combination of mechanical and

electrical switching types. The electrical circuits and the mechanical relays are
deployed in them.
 The Electromechanical switching systems are further classified into the
following:
1. Strowger switching system (Step by Step)
2. Crossbar switching system

1. Strowger switching system (Step by Step)

The Step-by-step switching system is also called the Strowger switching system
after its inventor A.B Strowger. The control functions in a Strowger system are
performed by circuits associated with the switching elements in the system.
2. Crossbar switching system
The Crossbar switching systems have hard-wired control subsystems which use
relays and latches. These subsystems have limited capability and it is virtually
impossible to modify them to provide additional functionalities.

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 B. Electronic Switching Systems (SPC)

 The Electronic Switching systems are operated with the help of a processor
or a computer which controls the switching timing.
 The instructions are programmed and stored on a processor or computer that
control the operations. This method of storing the programs on a processor
or computer is called the Stored Program Control (SPC) technology.

 The switching scheme used by the electronic switching systems may be

either Space Division Switching or Time Division Switching.

Note: Electronic Switching System, we will discuss in the next Chapter.

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 Introduction to Strowger Switching
 Strowger is an exchange system built around electro-mechanical switches
that can drive or be stepped around a bank of outlets. The system can be
considered to have the following characteristics.

1. Step by step control of the call.

2. Selection by means of magnet controlled mechanisms.
3. Interconnection via wipers and banks using base metal contacts.
4. Switching devices that usually have one or two inputs and twenty five to two
hundred outlets.

In the Strowger switching system, there are two types of selectors; these selectors
form the building blocks for the switching systems.

1. Uni-Selector
2. Two motion-Selector

 Both of these selectors are constructed using electro-mechanical rotary switches.

 The Uniselector has a single selector pole and multiple throws to reach the bank of
contacts for each number dialed.
 The two-motion selector has two rotary switches for vertical and horizontal
stepping movement, to reach the bank of contacts. 7
Rotary Dial Telephone:

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SIGNALING TONES of Rotary Dial Telephone

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STROWGER SWITCHING COMPONENTS

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1. UNI-SELECTOR:
 A uniselector is a one which has a single
rotary switch with a bank of contacts.

 Depending upon the number of

switching contacts, uniselectors are
identified as 10 outlet or 24 outlet
uniselectors.

 A single 10 outlet or 24 outlet uniselector

can be used as a switching element for
10 or 24 subscribers.

 Several uniselectors can be graded

together so that multiple incoming
circuits can be connected to multiple
outgoing circuits.

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Fig. (a) 10 contact uniselector, (b) graded uniselectors

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 The Uni-selector switching mechanism consists of an Electromagnet, an
Armature with springs, a Pawl, a ratchet wheel with wiper attached and a
detent. The wiper is made to move on the bank contacts in clock-wise
direction. As the wiper moves in one-direction, the process is called Uni-
selector switching.
 The contacts onto which the wiper moves are called Bank contacts as a
number of contacts are placed in this shape of an arc. 14
2. TWO MOTION SELECTORS
 Unlike in Uni-selector, the motion in
these selectors is two-way, vertical and
horizontal.

 An upward movement is made in

vertical and horizontal directions; there
are no contacts made in the vertical
movement.
 However, bank contacts are made in
the horizontal movement.
 If the two-motion selector has 10 levels,
each having 10 contacts, then 100
contacts are accessible, by the vertical
and horizontal movement of the two-
motion selector switching system.

 The last selector in a train is called the

final selector and it steps both vertically
and then horizontally under the control
of the caller's dial to settle on the called
number's bank position.
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 Fig. Two motion selector

 When the first digit is dialed, the pulses energize and de-energize the vertical
magnet according to the number dialed, with the help of ratchet and pawl
mechanism. This is called as Vertical Stepping.
 When the second digit is dialed, the dialing pulses are diverted to horizontal
magnet, with the help of a relay where the pulses energize and de-energize
the horizontal magnet according to the number dialed, with the help of
ratchet and pawl mechanism. This is called Horizontal Stepping.

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 Strowger switching system (Step by Step)
(by Two motion selector)

• In general, the strowger switching system consists of subscriber’s line

circuit, line finder & allotter circuit, Group selector and final selector.
Fig. shows the block diagram of strowger switching which explains the
process by which the switching system connects a calling subscriber and
called subscriber.

Fig. Block diagram of strowger switching system.

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Subscriber line circuit (SLC):
 Every subscriber is connected to his local exchange by one pair of wires.
This single pair carries the voice in both directions and the ring current to
ring the bell when a call is received.
 At the exchange, every subscriber line terminates into its own subscriber
line circuit (SLC).

Line Finder & Allotter:

 As there are many subscribers, but only a few selectors, there has to be
a method for finding a free selector and to connect the calling subscriber
to that free selector.

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19
 Introduction to Crossbar Switching
 The Crossbar exchanges were developed during 1940s.
 They achieve full access and non-blocking capabilities with the Crossbar
switches and common control equipment.
 The active elements called Cross-points are placed between the input
and the output lines.
 In the common control switching systems, the separation between
switching and control operations allows the usage of switching networks to
establish many calls at the same time.
 The Crossbar switching system uses the common control networks
which enable the switching network to perform event monitoring, call
processing, charging, operation and maintenance.
 The common control also provides uniform numbering of subscribers in
a multi-exchange area like big cities and routing of calls from one
exchange to another.

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 Crossbar Switching Matrix
 The Crossbar arrangement is a matrix which is formed by the MXN sets of
contacts arranged as vertical and horizontal bars with contact points where
they meet.
 They need nearly M+N numbers of activators to select one of the contacts.
The Crossbar matrix arrangement is shown in the next figure.
 The horizontal and vertical bars shown in dotted lines in the figure are
mechanically connected to these contact points and attached to the
electromagnets.
 Here a figure will help you understand the contact made at the crosspoints.

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 Electromagnets

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Fig. 3X3 Crossbar Switch
Fig. 3X3 Crossbar Switch Connection from B to C 23
Fig. 3X3 Crossbar Switch Connection from B to C and C to B 24
Fig. 3X3 Crossbar Switch Connections 25
 6X6 CROSSBAR SWITCH

Activation Sequence:
1. Energize Horizontal Bar
2. Energize Vertical Bar
3. De-Energize Horizontal Bar 26
 Crossbar Switching Matrix

 As all the stations are allowed to be connected with all possible connections
as long as the called party is free, this Crossbar Switching is called the Non-
Blocking Crossbar configuration.
 Non-Blocking Crossbar requires N2 (N square) switching elements for N
subscribers. So, the Cross-points will be highly greater than the subscribers.
 For example, 100 subscribers will require a 10,000 Cross-points.
This means that this technique
can be applied to a group having
a small number of subscribers.

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 Crossbar Switch Configuration

 Non blocking Scheme

 Diagonal Cross-point Matrix N(N-1)/2 elements
 The number of elements is the same as that of full-connected
network.
 Connection establishment
 Energize the corresponding horizontal bar
 Energize the corresponding vertical bar

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Fig. Diagonal Cross-point Matrix