Generic bus system

• US 6,501,766 B1
• Filed: 03/30/1998
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Kemp, Michael F., Fisher, David A., Watchorn, James L., Irwin, George F., Chaar, Melhem I., Bahgat, Osama
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elallam, Ahmed
• Application Number:
  US09/050,246
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• Field of Search: 370/319, 370/321, 370/351, 370/347, 370/348, 370/362, 370/375, 370/376, 370/439, 370/440, 370/442, 370/443, 370/458, 370/462, 370/475, 370/498, 370/255, 370/257, 370/364, 370/365
• US Class Current: 370/458
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system

Abstract

A communication system consisting of a number of modules that communicate with one another through a shared communications bus which accommodates different protocols. The system includes a bus clock for defining a frame having a plurality of time slots for communicating signals on the bus; and a bus management algorithm for specifying a receive assignment definition and a transmit assignment definition. The receive assignment definition defines a receive channel for each of the modules representing a set of the time slots, where the modules receive signals from the bus during the set of time slots prescribed by the receive channel. The transmit assignment definition defines a transmit channel for each of the modules representing a set of the time slots, where the modules transmit signals to the bus during the set of time slots prescribed by the transmit channel.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a shared communication bus;

a plurality of modules communicating with one another through the shared communications bus;

means for defining a frame having a plurality of time slots for communicating signals on the bus; and

means for specifying a receive assignment definition and a transmit assignment definition;

said receive assignment definition defining a receive channel for each of the plurality of modules representing a set of the time slots, the receive assignment definition including more than one receive channel for at least one of the modules, the sets of the time slots defining the receive channels are distributed, and one of the receive channels is shared by at least two of the modules, wherein said modules respectively receive signals from the bus during the set of time slots prescribed by the receive channel; and

said transmit assignment definition defining a transmit channel for each of the modules representing a set of the time slots, the transmit assignment definition including more than one transmit channel for at least one of the modules, the sets of the time slots defining the transmit channels are distributed, and one of the transmit channels is shared by at least two of the modules, wherein said modules respectively transmit signals to the bus during the set of time slots prescribed by the transmit channel; and

means for arbitrating communication on the bus between the modules for the shared transmit channel.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said means for arbitrating includes an arbitration service where the modules for the shared transmit channel transmit a request command to the arbitration service and where the arbitration service communicates a grant command back to a selected one of the modules.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein each of the modules includes an input frame control map representing the receive assignment definition, and an output frame control map representing the transmit assignment definition.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the means for defining includes a clock bus connected to each of the modules for generating a clock signal and a framing signal to synchronize timing of the modules.

5. The communication system of claim 2, wherein each of the modules includes a transport module in communication with the input frame control map and the output frame control map for mapping receive channels and transmit channels to the modules on the bus.

6. The communication system of claim 3, wherein the means for specifying determines the receive assignment definition and the transmit assignment definition based on requirements of the modules and for populating the input frame control map with the receive assignment definition and the output frame control map with the transmit assignment definition of each of the modules.

7. The communication system of claim 5, wherein the bus includes a narrowcast bus trunk and a broadcast bus trunk wherein each of said modules is connected to both the narrowcast bus trunk and the broadcast bus trunk.

8. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the transport module includes a synchronous mapping service for synchronously mapping transmit channels on the narrowcast bus onto transmit channels on the broadcast bus to facilitate communications between the modules.

9. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the transmit channel includes a label defining a route identifier specifying a mapping location for the transmit channel.

10. The communication system of claim 9, wherein the transport module includes the label mapping service for asynchronously mapping transmit channels on the narrowcast bus onto transmit channels on the broadcast bus based on the label of the transmit channel.

11. The communication system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the transport module includes the arbitration service.

12. A communication system comprising:

a data bus;

a plurality of modules communicating over the data bus;

a clock bus providing a clock signal and a framing signal for defining a frame having a plurality of time slots for communicating signals on the data bus; and

means for specifying a receive assignment definition and a transmit assignment definition;

said receive assignment definition defining a receive channel for each of the modules representing a set of the time slots, the receive assignment definition including more than one receive channel for at least one of the modules, and the sets of the time slots defining the receive channels are distributed;

said transmit assignment definition defining a transmit channel for each of the modules representing a set of the time slots, and one of the transmit channels is shared by at least two of the modules; and

means for arbitrating communication on the data bus between the modules for the shared transmit channel, wherein said modules respectively transmit signals to the bus during the set of time slots prescribed by the transmit channel, and one of the receive channels is shared by at least two of the modules.

13. The communication system of claim 12, wherein said means for arbitrating includes an arbitration service where the modules for the shared transmit channel transmit a request command to the arbitration service and where the arbitration service communicates a grant command back to a selected one of the modules.

14. The communication system of claim 12, wherein each of the modules includes an input frame control map representing the receive assignment definition, and an output frame control map representing the transmit assignment definition.

15. The communication system of claim 14, wherein each of the modules includes a transport module in communication with the input frame control map and the output frame control map for mapping receive channels and transmit channels to the modules on the data bus.

16. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the input frame control map is populated with the receive assignment definition and the output frame control map is populated with the transmit assignment definition of each of the modules.

17. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the data bus includes a narrowcast bus trunk and a broadcast bus trunk wherein each of said modules is connected to both the narrowcast bus trunk and the broadcast bus trunk.

18. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the transport module includes the synchronous mapping service for synchronously mapping transmit channels on the narrowcast bus onto transmit channels on the broadcast bus.

19. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the transmit channel includes a label defining a route identifier specifying a mapping location for the transmit channel.

20. The communication system of claim 19, wherein the transport module includes the label mapping service for asynchronously mapping transmit channels on the narrowcast bus onto transmit channels on the broadcast bus based on the label of the transmit channel.

21. The communication system of claims 13 or 20, wherein the transport module includes the arbitration service.

22. A communications apparatus comprising:

a shared communications bus;

a plurality of modules communicating with one another through the shared communications bus;

means for defining a frame having a plurality of time slots for communicating signals on the bus; and

means for specifying a receive assignment definition and a transmit assignment definition, said receive assignment definition defining a receive channel for each of the modules representing a set of the time slots, wherein said modules respectively receive signals from the bus during the set of time slots prescribed by the receive channel, and the receive assignment definition includes more than one receive channel for at least one of the modules, the sets of the time slots defining the receive channels are distributed and one of the receive channels is shared by at least two of the modules;

said transmit assignment definition defining a transmit channel for each of the modules representing a set of the time slots, wherein said modules respectively transmit signals to the bus during the set of time slots prescribed by the transmit channel, and the transmit assignment definition includes more than one transmit channel for at least one of the modules, the sets of the time slots defining the transmit channels are distributed and one of the transmit channels is shared by at least two of the modules; and

means for arbitrating communication on the bus between the modules for the shared transmit channel.

23. The communication system of claim 22, wherein said means for arbitrating includes an arbitration service where the modules for the shared transmit channel transmit a request command to the arbitration service and where the arbitration service communicates a grant command back to a selected one of the modules.

24. The communication system of claim 22, wherein each of the modules includes an input frame control map representing the receive assignment definition, and an output frame control map representing the transmit assignment definition.

25. The communication system of claim 24, wherein each of the modules includes a transport module in communication with the input frame control map and the output frame control map for mapping receive channels and transmit channels to the modules on the bus.

26. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the means for specifying determines the receive assignment definition and the transmit assignment definition based on requirements of the modules and for populating the input frame control map with the receive assignment definition and the output frame control map with the transmit assignment definition of each of the modules.

27. The communication system of claim 25, wherein the bus includes a narrowcast bus trunk and a broadcast bus trunk wherein each of said modules is connected to both the narrowcast bus trunk and the broadcast bus trunk.

28. The communication system of claim 27, wherein the transport module includes the synchronous mapping service for synchronously mapping transmit channels on the narrowcast bus onto transmit channels on the broadcast bus.

29. The communication system of claim 27, wherein the transmit channel includes a label defining a route identifier specifying a mapping location for the transmit channel.

30. The communication system of claim 29, wherein the transport module includes the label mapping service for asynchronously mapping transmit channels on the narrowcast bus onto transmit channels on the broadcast bus based on the label of the transmit channel.

31. The communication system of claim 30, wherein the transport module includes the arbitration service.