Self-routing, staff-coupler-based communication network

• US 20050243715A1
• Filed: 11/01/2002
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Temple, Christopher, Rausch, Mathias
• Granted Patent: US 7,542,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/44 Star or tree networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/18 Loop-free operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A self-routing communication network (100) having: a plurality of nodes (N1-N15); a plurality of star couplers (S1-S4) each having a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs; and communication paths coupled between the plurality of star couplers and the plurality of nodes for communicaton therebetween of frames of information, including at least one redundant communication path (L1-L3), and each of the star couplers sensing which of its inputs first receives a frame and passing only the frame first received. The frames each have a fram-start-sequence (FSS), and the star couplers change the fram-start-sequences before outputting the frame of information e.g. by reducing the size of a frame'"'"'s fram-start-sequence by a predetermined amount (e.g., 2 bits), whereby interconnection failure may be diagnosed by analysing the frame-start-sequence.

Claims

1. A self-routing communication network, comprising:

a plurality of nodes;

a plurality of star couplers each having a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs; and

communication paths coupled between the plurality of star couplers and the plurality of nodes for communication therebetween of frames of information,

wherein

the communication paths include at least one alternative communication path, and

the star couplers include means for sensing which of its inputs first receives a frame of information and for passing only the frame of information first received.

2. The self-routing communication network of claim 1, wherein the frames of information each have a frame-start-sequence, and the star couplers further include means for changing the frame-start-sequence before outputting the frame such that an interconnection failure may be diagnosed by analysing the frame-start-sequence.

3. The self-routing communication network of claim 2, wherein the means for changing the frame-start-sequence comprises means for reducing the size of the frame-start-sequence by a predetermined amount.

4. The self-routing communication network of claim 3, wherein the predetermined amount comprises 2 bits.

5. The self-routing communication network of claim 3, wherein the means for reducing the size of the frame-start-sequence comprise clock means for timing the occurrence of the predetermined amount of the frame-start-sequence.

6. The self-routing communication network of claim 3, wherein the means for reducing the size of the frame-start-sequence comprise bit detection means for detecting the occurrence of the predetermined amount of the frame-start-sequence.

7. The self-routing communication network of claim 1, wherein the network is based on a deterministic media access scheme.

8. The self-routing communication network of any claim 1, wherein the network is arranged for real-time communication.

9. A star coupler for use in a self-routing communication network having a plurality of nodes coupled via communication paths and a plurality of star couplers for communication between the nodes of frames of information,

the star coupler having a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs, wherein the star coupler includes means for sensing which of its inputs first receives a frame of information and for passing only the frame of information first received, and the frames of information each have a frame-start-sequence, and the star coupler further includes means for changing the frame-start-sequence in a predetermined manner before outputting the frame of information, whereby interconnection failure in the network may be diagnosed by analysing from the frame-start-sequence.

10. The star coupler of claim 9, wherein the means for changing the frame-start-sequence in a predetermined manner comprises means for reducing the size of the frame-start-sequence by a predetermined amount.

11. The star coupler of claim 10, wherein the predetermined amount comprises 2 bits.

12. The star coupler of claim 10, wherein the means for reducing the size of the frame-start-sequence comprise clock means for timing the occurrence of the predetermined amount of the frame-start-sequence.

13. The star coupler of claim 10, wherein the means for reducing the size of the frame-start-sequence comprise bit detection means for detecting the occurrence of the predetermined amount of the frame-start-sequence.

14. The star coupler of claim 9, wherein the network is based on a deterministic media access scheme.

15. The star coupler of claim 9-14, wherein the network is arranged for real-time communication.