Method for switching ATM, TDM, and packet data through a single communications switch
US6636515B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 21, 2000 |
| Grant date | Oct 21, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 10, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L2012/6413
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A network switch includes at least one port processor and at least one switch element. The port processor has an SONET OC-x interface (for TDM traffic), a UTOPIA interface (for ATM and packet traffic), and an interface to the switch element. In one embodiment, the port processor has a total I/O bandwidth equivalent to an OC-48, and the switch element has 12×12 ports for a total bandwidth of 30 Gbps. A typical switch includes multiple port processors and switch elements. A data frame of 9 rows by 1700 slots is used to transport ATM, TDM, and Packet data from a port processor through one or more switch elements to the same or another port processor. Each frame is transmitted in 125 microseconds; each row in 13.89 microseconds. Each slot includes a 4-bit tag plus a 4-byte payload. The slot bandwidth is 2.592 Mbps which is large enough to carry an E-1 signal with overhead. The 4-bit tag is a cross connect pointer which is setup when a TDM connection is provisioned. The last twenty slots of the frame are reserved for link overhead. Thus, the frame is capable of carrying the equivalent of 1,680 E-1 TDM signals. For ATM and packet data, a PDU (protocol data unit) of 16 slots is defi…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.