Data transmission

• US 20050078683A1
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Page, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.500
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0058 Transmission between separate instruments or between individual components of a musical system G10H1/0083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/295 Packet switched network, e.g. token ring
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/301 Ethernet, e.g. according to IEEE 802.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0632 Synchronisation of packets and cells, e.g. transmission of voice via a packet network, circuit emulation service [CES] queuing arrangements in packet switching elements H04L49/90; synchronising systems for the synchronous transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals H04N7/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0061 Error detection codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0071 Use of interleaving interleaving per se H03M13/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/16 Half-duplex systems; Simplex/duplex switching; Transmission of break signals non-automatically inverting the direction of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0008 Synchronisation information channels, e.g. clock distribution lines

Abstract

A data communication system for communicating one or more payload streamed data signals and an auxiliary data signal, said auxiliary data signal being organised as one or more data packets according to a data packet protocol, each packet having a packet destination address, comprises: at least two data handling nodes, a transmitting one of said data handling nodes being arranged to transmit data to a receiving one of said data handling nodes; a transmission data formatter associated with said transmitting node for formatting said packets of said auxiliary data signal into a streamed data signal format and for multiplexing said payload streamed data signals and said formatted auxiliary data signal into a bitstream for transmission; a received data reformatter associated with said receiving node for demultiplexing said input streamed data signals and said formatted auxiliary data signal and for reformatting said auxiliary data signal into packets according to said data packet protocol.

Claims

1. A data communication system for communicating one or more payload streamed data signals and an auxiliary data signal, the auxiliary data signal being organised as one or more data packets according to a data packet protocol, each packet having a respective packet destination address, the system comprising:

(i) at least two data handling nodes, a transmitting one of said data handling nodes being arranged to transmit data to a receiving one of said data handling nodes across a data connection link;

(ii) a transmission data formatter associated with said transmitting node for formatting said data packets of said auxiliary data signal into a streamed data signal format and for multiplexing said payload streamed data signals and said formatted auxiliary data signal into a bitstream for transmission;

(iii) a received data reformatter associated with said receiving node for demultiplexing said input streamed data signals and said formatted auxiliary data signal and for reformatting said auxiliary data signal into packets according to said data packet protocol.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a packetizer, associated with said transmitting node, for organising said auxiliary data signal into data packets.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said data packet protocol is an Ethernet packet protocol.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said data connection link comprises a physical layer of an Ethernet link.

5. A system according to claim 1, comprising a clock transmitter for transmitting a clock signal, associated with said payload streamed data signal, from said transmitting node to said receiving node.

6. A system according to claim 1, in which said one or more payload streamed data signals are audio signals.

7. A system according to claim 1, comprising an auxiliary data packet router associated with said receiving node for routing packets of said auxiliary data signal in accordance with said respective packet destination address.

8. A data router arranged to receive a data stream containing data packets, having associated destination indicators, via two or more input/output channels and to direct each packet to one or more input/output channels in dependence on said respective destination indicator, in which each input/output channel has an associated maximum data rate, said router comprising:

an Ethernet router; and

a routing interface associated with each input/output channel;

said routing interface and said Ethernet router being operable to communicate at a data rate higher than said maximum data rate associated with at least some of said individual input/output channels;

said routing interface being arranged to supply data packets received via said data stream associated with that input/output channel to said Ethernet router in said form of Ethernet data packets;

said routing interface being arranged to receive data packets to be output via said corresponding input/output channel from said Ethernet router and to provide said data packets as a data stream for output by that channel at a data rate no greater than said channel'"'"'s maximum data rate; and

said routing interface and said Ethernet router co-operating to selectively inhibit said transfer of data packets from said Ethernet router to said routing interface in order to avoid exceeding that channel'"'"'s maximum data rate.

9. A router according to claim 8, in which said routing interface and said Ethernet router are arranged to communicate using a half-duplex protocol in which transmission of a next data packet by one party is inhibited while another party asserts control of an inter-party communication.

10. A router according to claim 9, in which said routing interface is arranged to assert control of said inter-party communication during an arrival of an incoming data packet via that input/output channel.

11. A router according to claim 10, in which said routing interface is arranged to assert control of said inter-party communication when a predetermined portion of said incoming data packet has been received via that input/output channel.

12. A router according to claim 11, in which said predetermined portion is such as to allow time to receive a remainder of that incoming data packet during transmission of that incoming data packet to said Ethernet router, taking into account said channel'"'"'s maximum data rate and a data rate for communication between said routing interface and said Ethernet router, so as to allow a substantially uninterrupted onward transmission of said incoming data packet.

13. A router according to claim 9, in which said routing interface is arranged to assert control of said inter-party communication in response to receipt of a data packet from said Ethernet router, to inhibit receipt of a next data packet from said Ethernet router at least until an onward transmission of a newly received data packet via said input/output channel has started.

14. A router according to claim 9, in which said routing interface is arranged to assert control of said inter-party communication by asserting a carrier sense signal.

15. A router according to claim 8, in which at least one of said input/output channels comprises at least one of a multiplexer for multiplexing said output data stream with a payload data stream for transmission, and a demultiplexer for demultiplexing data packets from an input data stream comprising said data packets multiplexed with a payload data stream.

16. A data transmitting node for transmitting one or more payload streamed data signals and an auxiliary data signal to a receiving node, said auxiliary data signal being organised as one or more data packets according to a data packet protocol, each packet having a packet destination address, said transmitting node comprising:

a transmission data formatter for formatting said packets of said auxiliary data signal into a streamed data signal format and for multiplexing said payload streamed data signals and said formatted auxiliary data signal into a bitstream for transmission.

17. A data receiving node for receiving one or more payload streamed data signals and an auxiliary data signal, said auxiliary data signal being organised as one or more data packets according to a data packet protocol, each packet having a packet destination address, said packets of said auxiliary data signal being formatted into a streamed data signal format and multiplexed with said payload streamed data signals and said formatted auxiliary data signal into a bitstream for transmission;

said receiving node comprising;

a received data reformatter for demultiplexing said input streamed data signals and said formatted auxiliary data signal and for reformatting said auxiliary data signal into packets according to said data packet protocol.

18. A data signal comprising a streamed payload data signal and an auxiliary data signal having data packets each with a packet destination address, sub-portions of each packet of said auxiliary data signal being interspersed amongst data bits of said payload streamed data signal.

19. A method of data communication system for communicating one or more payload streamed data signals and an auxiliary data signal, said auxiliary data signal being organised as one or more data packets according to a data packet protocol, each packet having a packet destination address, said method comprising the steps of:

(i) a transmitting node formatting said packets of said auxiliary data signal into a streamed data signal format and for multiplexing said payload streamed data signals and said formatted auxiliary data signal into a bitstream for transmission; and

(ii) a receiving node demultiplexing said input streamed data signals and said formatted auxiliary data signal and for reformatting said auxiliary data signal into packets according to said data packet protocol.

23. Computer software comprising program code for carrying out a method according to claim 19.

24. A medium by which software according to claim 23 is provided.

25. A medium according to claim 24, said medium being a transmission medium.

26. A medium according to claim 24, said medium being a storage medium.

20. A method of routing a data stream containing data packets, having associated destination indicators, received via two or more input/output channels and directing each packet to one or more input/output channels in dependence upon a respective destination indicator, in which each input/output channel has an associated maximum data rate, using an Ethernet data packet router and a routing interface associated with each input/output channel;

said routing interface and said Ethernet router being operable to communicate at a data rate higher than said maximum data rate associated with at least some of said individual input/output channels;

said method comprising the steps of;

(i) said routing interface supplying data packets received via said data stream associated with that input/output channel to said Ethernet router as Ethernet data packets;

(ii) said routing interface receiving data packets to be output via said corresponding input/output channel from said Ethernet router and providing said data packets as a data stream for output by that channel at a data rate no greater than said channel'"'"'s maximum data rate; and

(iii) said routing interface and said Ethernet router co-operating to selectively inhibit said transfer of data packets from said Ethernet router to said routing interface in order to avoid exceeding that channel'"'"'s maximum data rate.

27. Computer software comprising program code for carrying out a method according to claim 20.

28. A medium by which software according to claim 27 is provided.

29. A medium according to claim 28, said medium being a transmission medium.

30. A medium according to claim 28, said medium being a storage medium.

21. A method of transmitting one or more payload streamed data signals and an auxiliary data signal to a receiving node, said auxiliary data signal being organised as one or more data packets according to a data packet protocol, each packet having a packet destination address, said method comprising the steps of:

(i) formatting said data packets of said auxiliary data signal into a streamed data signal format; and

(ii) multiplexing said payload streamed data signals and said formatted auxiliary data signal into a bitstream for transmission.

31. Computer software comprising program code for carrying out a method according to claim 21.

32. A medium by which software according to claim 31 is provided.

33. A medium according to claim 32, said medium being a transmission medium.

34. A medium according to claim 32, said medium being a storage medium.

22. A method of receiving one or more payload streamed data signals and an auxiliary data signal, said auxiliary data signal being organised as one or more data packets according to a data packet protocol, each packet having a packet destination address, said packets of said auxiliary data signal being formatted into a streamed data signal format and multiplexed with said payload streamed data signals and said formatted auxiliary data signal into a bitstream for transmission;

said method comprising the steps of;

(i) demultiplexing said input streamed data signals and said formatted auxiliary data signal; and

(ii) reformatting said auxiliary data signal into packets according to said data packet protocol.

35. Computer software comprising program code for carrying out a method according to claim 22.

36. A medium by which software according to claim 35 is provided.

37. A medium according to claim 36, said medium being a transmission medium.

38. A medium according to claim 36, said medium being a storage medium.