Data transmission system and method
First Claim
1. A network interface mechanism comprising:
- a) a network transmitter, the network transmitter transmitting a first message on a bus;
b) a message detector, the message detector receiving the first message transmitted by the network transmitter and determining an arrival time of a feedback signal signifying the transmitted time instance of the first message; and
c) a transmission controller, the transmission controller controlling the network transmitter to adjust a transmission time of a subsequent message on the bus in response to the determined arrival time of the feedback signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A network interface mechanism and method is provided that facilitates precise transmission time control in a computer network. The network interface mechanism and method uses feedback to provide monitoring and precise control of the transmission time. Specifically, a message detector is provided that monitors the network for transmissions from the network interface mechanism. The arrival time of messages is compared to the desired transmission time, and the transmission time of subsequent transmissions is adjusted accordingly. A transmission disable mechanism is used in the forward path to disable the transmission driver at the transmission cut off time as a means to prevent the transmission node from babbling the media. Thus, the network interface mechanism and method provide precise control of the transmission time, and thus can be used to eliminate collisions in the network. The network interface mechanism and method allows the application of Ethernet controller to have precise transmission timing control in a computer network.
43 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A network interface mechanism comprising:
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a) a network transmitter, the network transmitter transmitting a first message on a bus; b) a message detector, the message detector receiving the first message transmitted by the network transmitter and determining an arrival time of a feedback signal signifying the transmitted time instance of the first message; and c) a transmission controller, the transmission controller controlling the network transmitter to adjust a transmission time of a subsequent message on the bus in response to the determined arrival time of the feedback signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A network interface mechanism, the network interface mechanism comprising:
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a) a transmitter, the transmitter coupled to a bus; an Ethernet controller, the Ethernet controller receiving message data and selectively passing the message data to the transmitter for transmission on the bus; c) a message detector, the message detector coupled to the bus to determine an arrival time of a feedback signal signifying a transmitted time instance of a first message transmitted on the bus by the transmitter; and d) a transmission controller, the transmission controller controlling the transmitter and the Ethernet controller to adjust a transmission time of a subsequent message by the transmitter in response to the determined arrival time of the feedback signal. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of transmitting messages on a bus, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) receiving a first message transmitted by a network transmitter and determining an arrival time of a feedback signal signifying a transmitted time instance of the first message; b) adjusting a transmission time of a subsequent message by the network transmitter in response to the determined arrival time of the feedback signal; and c) transmitting the subsequent message at the adjusted transmission time. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification