MULTIPORT SWITCH FOR CASCADED ETHERNET AV DEVICE NETWORKING

• US 20090034518A1
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Diab, Wael William
• Granted Patent: US 8,457,122 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/206 Real Time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/352 Gigabit ethernet switching [GBPS]

Abstract

A multiport switch for cascaded Ethernet audio/visual (AV) device networking. AV devices are configured with multiple external Ethernet ports and an internal port. These multiple Ethernet ports enable the AV devices to operate as a terminating AV device or as an intermediary switch. With this functionality, a cascading chain of AV devices can be used to support traffic between the connected set of AV devices. Independent links between the sets of devices would not be required as with conventional point-to-point topologies.

Claims

1. An audio/video network, comprising:

a first audio/video device, said first audio/video device having a first and second external Ethernet port and an internal port, said first and second external Ethernet ports and said internal port being coupled by a switch;

a second audio/video device that is coupled to said first external Ethernet port of said first audio/video device using a first Ethernet cable; and

a third audio/video device that is coupled to said second external Ethernet port of said first audio/video device using a second Ethernet cable,

wherein traffic from one of said second and third audio/video devices to said first audio/video device is extracted by said first audio/video device at said internal port, and traffic from said second audio/video device to said third audio video device passes through said first and second external Ethernet ports on said first audio/video device without being extracted by said first audio/video device.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein said first and second external Ethernet ports are 10 GBASE-T ports.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein said first audio/video device is one of a television, receiver, and DVD player.

4. The network of claim 1, wherein said second audio/video device is a DVD player and said third audio/video device is a television.

5. The network of claim 1, wherein no traffic from said second or third audio/video device terminates at said first audio/video device.

6. The network of claim 1, wherein a connection between said second audio/video device and said third audio/video device has a guaranteed quality of service for bandwidth and latency.

7. The network of claim 6, wherein said connection between said second audio/video device and said third audio/video device supports a video stream.

8. The network of claim 7, wherein said connection between said second audio/video device and said third audio/video device supports a high definition video stream.

9. An audio/video device, comprising:

a first and second external Ethernet port;

an internal port; and

a switch coupled to said first and second external Ethernet port and said internal port,

wherein said switch forwards video stream traffic received from a second audio/video device on said first external Ethernet port to a third audio/video device coupled to said second Ethernet port.

10. The audio/video device of claim 9, further comprising third and fourth external Ethernet ports that are at a different speed as compared to said first and second external Ethernet ports.

11. The audio/video device of claim 9, wherein said traffic forwarding occurs after a quality of service is guaranteed between said second and third audio/video devices.

12. The audio/video device of claim 9, wherein said switch is a Layer 2 switch.

13. The audio/video device of claim 9, wherein the audio/video device is one of a receiver, television, and DVD player.

14. An audio/video networking method, comprising:

receiving, at a first audio/video device, communication on a first Ethernet port, said communication including first audio/video data that has said first audio/video device as its destination and second audio/video data that has a second audio/video device as its destination;

routing via a switch in said first audio/video device, said first audio/video data to an internal port in said first audio/video device; and

routing via said switch in said first audio/video device, said second audio/video data to a second Ethernet port in said first audio/video device, wherein said second Ethernet port is coupled to said second audio/video device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said receiving comprises receiving 10 GBASE-T communication at said first Ethernet port.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said receiving comprises receiving at an audio/video receiver.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said receiving comprises receiving at a DVD player.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said receiving comprises receiving at a television.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising reserving, at said first audio/video device, a connection for said second audio/video data at a defined quality of service.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein said second audio/video data is not extracted by said first audio/video device.