Telephony switching apparatus

• US 6,714,538 B1
• Filed: 07/20/2000
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ECI Telecom Limited (Shaul Shani)
• Original Assignee: ECI Telecom Limited (Shaul Shani)
• Inventors: Silbiger, Avi, Barash, Amos, Moshe, Joseph, Jordan, Reuven
• Primary Examiner(s): VINCENT, DAVID ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US09/620,189
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 370/369-386, 370/532-8, 710/30-1, 379/350-1
• US Class Current: 370/369
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0421 Circuit arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13003 Constructional details of switching devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1302 Relay switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13036 Serial/parallel conversion, parallel bit transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1304 Coordinate switches, crossbar, 4/2 with relays, coupling field
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13076 Distributing frame, MDF, cross-connect switch
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13292 Time division multiplexing, TDM
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1331 Delay elements, shift registers
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1334 Configuration within the switch
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13341 Connections within the switch

Abstract

This invention discloses an apparatus including an input, a series of shift registers and an output, the input arranged to receive a plurality of serial data streams, each of the data streams containing groups of data, and to take simultaneously data bits from at least some of the plurality of serial data streams and to place the data bits into the series of shift registers, such that the data bits of a given bit position in the data groups of the some of the plurality of serial data streams are placeable together in one of the shift registers, and successive bits of a part of one of the data groups are placed in a given data position across the shift registers, and the output being arranged to read out, in parallel, data of a given data position across the series of shift registers, simultaneously. A method of converting a plurality of serial data streams each carrying data groups into parts of the data groups arranged in parallel is also disclosed.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising an input, a series of shift registers and an output, said input arranged to receive a plurality of serial data streams, each of said data streams containing groups of data, and to take simultaneously data bits from at least some of said plurality of serial data streams and to place said data bits into said series of shift registers, such that the data bits of a given bit position in the data groups of said some of said plurality of serial data streams are placeable together in one of the shift registers, and successive bits of a part of one of the data groups are placed in a given data position across the shift registers, and said output being arranged to read out, in parallel, data of a given data position across said series of shift registers, simultaneously.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the serial data streams are bundles of DS-1 signals and the data groups are DS-0 channels.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein there is further provided a demultiplexer for taking data bits simultaneously from at least some of said plurality of data streams and placing said data bits into said series of shift registers.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein there is further provided a demultiplexer for taking data bits simultaneously from at least some of said plurality of data streams and placing said data bits into said series of shift registers.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a data buffer placed at the input side of said series of shift registers.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shift registers are set to operate at a first multiple greater than one of the speed at which said data groups are respectively able to provide said part of one of said data groups at the input such that data of each channel can be removed from the bundle and reconstructed into said part of one of said data groups in the shift registers and wherein the number of shift registers is less than the number of channels.

7. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said first multiple is at least two.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the number of parallel streams is at least four.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a number of shift registers in said series of shift registers is at most 16.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said input is comprised of a port which serves both as an input and an output, wherein there is provided a plurality of additional ports, wherein said ports are connected via a switching matrix operable to switch individual parts of said data groups to any one of said ports according to an address, and wherein said port is operable in reverse to bundle said parts of said data into data groups to form an output data stream.

17. A method according to claim 10, wherein the number of shift registers is at most 16.

11. A method of converting a plurality of serial data streams each carrying data groups into parts of said data groups arranged in parallel, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of serial data streams, each of said data streams containing groups of data,

taking data bits simultaneously from at least some of said plurality of data streams,

placing said data bits into a series of registers, such that the data bits of a given bit position in the data groups of said some of said multiple data streams are placed together in one of the registers, and successive bits of a part of one of the data groups appear in a given data position across the shift registers, and reading out, in parallel, data of a given data position across said series of shift registers, simultaneously.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said data streams are bundles of DS-1 channels and said data groups are DS-0 channels, and wherein each part of a data group is part of a DS-0 channel.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein said part of said data group is a data word.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein said part of said data group is a data word.

15. A method according to claim 11, and wherein the number of data streams is four and wherein data is input from said data streams at four times the rate of each stream.

16. A method according to claim 12, and wherein the number of data streams is four and wherein data is input from said data streams at four times the rate of each stream.