Telecommunication systems

• US 20050249205A1
• Filed: 11/09/2004
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coriant EMEA Holdings Ltd. (Infinera Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Tellabs Research Limited (Infinera Corp.)
• Inventors: Melinn, Francis, O'Brien, Raymond
• Granted Patent: US 7,974,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/0076 Channel characteristics, e.g. BER, error detection, error correction, delay, jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5652 Cell construction, e.g. including header, packetisation, depacketisation, assembly, reassembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A telecommunication system (1) provides bi-directional communication between TDM signals on one side and ATM signals on the other. An ATM aggregate (10) receives and transmits ATM signals, and a TDM interface (2) receives and transmits TDM signals. A format converter has an ATM bus (9) and a TDM bus (4) connected to their respective interfaces. Service-specific adapters (5-8) are connected between the buses.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A telecommunication system comprising:

a TDM bus;

a system TDM interface, coupled to the TDM bus, that transmits TDM signals on the TDM bus and receives TDM signals from the TDM bus;

a packet bus;

a system packet communication interface, coupled to the packet bus, that places packet communication cells on the packet bus and receives packet communication cells from the packet bus;

a modular conversion unit directly connected to and between each of the TDM bus and the packet bus, said conversion unit performing bi-directional TDM-packet format conversion between the system TDM interface and the system packet communication interface via said buses.

communication interface and the format converter, and means for transmitting and receiving system control signals to the TDM interface via a separate TDM control signal link.

40. The system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the packet communication cells are ATM cells, and the conversion performed by the modular conversion unit is specific to voice.

41. The system as claimed in claim 40, wherein the packet communication cells are ATM cells, and the conversion performed by the modular conversion unit is specific to frame relay.

42. The system as claimed in claim 40, wherein the packet communication cells are ATM cells, and the conversion performed by the modular conversion unit is specific to circuit emulation.

43. The system as claimed in claim 40, wherein the packet communication cells include ATM cells, and the conversion performed by the modular conversion unit is specific to native ATM.

21. A telecommunication system comprising:

a system TDM interface having means for receiving and transmitting TDM data streams;

a system packet communication interface having means for receiving and transmitting data packet streams; and

a format converter having means for performing bi-directional conversion between the interfaces, said format converter including a TDM bus connencted to the TDM interface, a packet bus connected to the packet communication interface, and at least one service-specific adaptation module connected between the two buses.

22. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the system further comprises a system controller having means for controlling operation of circuits in the sytem.

23. The system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the system controller is connected to the packet bus.

24. The system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the system controller includes means for transmitting and receiving system control signals via the packet bus to the packet.

25. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the control signals are cells.

26. The system as claimed in claim 25, wherein the system packet communication interface and the format converter include means for adding an additional header to each cell to direct routing of the cells within the system.

27. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein each adaptation module includes a cell processor connected to an adaptation circuit.

28. The system as claimed in claim 27, wherein each adaptation module further includes a control processor, and the cell processor includes means for routing control signal cells to said control processor.

29. The system as claimed in claim 28, wherein the cell processor routing means includes a segmentation and reassembly interface connected to a separate segmentation and reassembly circuit, which is in turn connected to the control processor.

30. The system as claimed in claim 29, wherein the cell processor includes means for stripping additional headers from cells as they are routed to the segmentation and reassembly circuit.

31. The system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the cell processor includes means for maintaining a plurality of output queues for routing of cells to the TDM bus, the queues being maintained on a priority scheme according to VPI/VCI headers.

32. The system as claimed in claim 31, wherein each cell processor includes a mapping function for adding the additional headers.

33. The system as claimed in claim 27, wherein the cell processor includes a dedicated ASIC.

34. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the system packet communication interface further includes a control processor, and a cell processor including means for routing control signal cells to the control processor.

44. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the data packet streams include IP packets.

45. The system as claimed in claim 44, wherein the conversion performed by the service-specific adaptation module is specific to voice.

46. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the data packet streams include ATM cells.

47. The system as claimed in claim 46, wherein the conversion performed by the service-specific adaptation module is specific to voice.

48. The system as claimed in claim 46, wherein the conversion performed by the service-specific adaptation module is specific to frame relay.

49. The system as claimed in claim 46, wherein the conversion performed by the service-specific adaptation module is specific to circuit emulation.

50. The system as claimed in claim 46, wherein the conversion performed by the service-specific adaptation module is specific to native ATM.

35. A telecommunication system comprising:

a system TDM interface that transmits and receives TDM data streams;

a system packet communication interface that transmits and receives data packet streams; and

a format converter that performs bi-directional conversion between said interfaces, said format converter including a TDM bus directly connected to the TDM interface, a packet bus directly connected to the packet communication interface, and at least one service-specific adaptation module directly connected to and between each of said buses, said adaptation module configured to extract an incoming TDM signal received from the TDM interface via said TDM bus, convert said TDM signal to a data packet signal and output the converted data packet signal to said packet bus for routing to said packet communication interface, said adaptation module further configured to extract an incoming data packet signal received from the packet communication interface via said packet bus, convert said data packet signal to a TDM signal and output the converted TDM signal to said TDM bus for routing to said TDM interface.

36. The system as claimed in claim 35, wherein the system further comprises a system controller connected to the packet bus and configured to transmit and receive system control signals via the packet bus to the packet communication interface and the adaptation module, said system controller coupled directly to said TDM interface by a separate TDM control signal link over which said system controller transmits system control signals to and receives system control signals from the TDM interface.

37. The system as claimed in claim 36, wherein the control signals are cells and said adaptation module includes a cell processor coupled to said data packet bus through a data packet bus interface and coupled to said TDM bus through an adaptation circuit and TDM bus interface.

38. The system as claimed in claim 37, wherein each adaptation module further includes a control processor and said cell processor includes a segmentation and reassembly interface connected to a separate segmentation and reassembly circuit, said cell processor configured to route control signal cells to said control processor through said segmentation and reassembly interface.

39. The system as claimed in claim 38, wherein the cell processor is configured to maintain a plurality of output queues for routing of cells to the TDM bus, the queues being maintained on a priority scheme according to VPI/VCI headers, said cell processor further configured with a mapping function for adding additional headers to each cell to direct routing of the cells within the system.

51. A telecommunication system comprising:

at least one system TDM interface configured to receive and transmit TDM data streams;

at least one system packet interface configured to receive and transmit data packet streams;

a TDM bus connected to the at least one system TDM interface;

a packet bus connected to the at least one system packet interface; and

a service-specific adaptation module connected to and between the system TDM bus and the system packet bus and configured to perform bi-directional conversion between the TDM and packet interfaces.

52. The system as claimed in claim 51, wherein the data packet streams include ATM cells, and the conversion performed by the service-specific adaptation module is specific to voice.

53. The system as claimed in claim 51, wherein the data packet streams include IP packet streams, and the conversion performed by the service-specific adaptation module is specific to voice.