Patent · US Expired

Sonet payload pointer processing and architecture

US5717693A · kind A · utility

45Cited by
5References
3Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 3, 1994
Grant dateFeb 10, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 3, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04J3/0623
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A SONET network element receives incoming SONET signals with a receive line interface (2) which stores the incoming data in an elastic store at the recovered line rate while a local interface reads the stored data at the local network element rate, which may vary slightly from the recovered line rate, and which adjusts the received pointers according to the difference between the line and local rates or phase, allowing the payload data to "float" with respect to the boundaries of frames containing both payload data and overhead with pointers; an elastic store monitor performs the comparison between the receive payload rate and the local clock by comparing write addresses at the recovered line rate and read addresses at the local network element rate by a subtraction process which causes pointer adjustments to be made in response to the subtracted difference exceeding selected memory limits. A process for carrying out VT/TU and/or STS/STM pointer interpretation and generation is shown.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.