Multiport switch for cascaded ethernet AV device networking

• US 8,457,122 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jay P
• Application Number:
  US11/832,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20090034518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,134 Days
• Field of Search: 370/235, 370/389, 370/463
• 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. A method in an audio/video network, comprising:

receiving, at a first Ethernet physical layer device in a first audio/video device, communication from a second Ethernet physical layer device in a second audio/video device via a first Ethernet cable, 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 third audio/video device as its destination, said third audio/video device including a third Ethernet physical layer device that is coupled to a fourth Ethernet physical layer device in said first audio/video device via a second Ethernet cable;

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, said switch being coupled to said first Ethernet physical layer device and said fourth Ethernet physical layer device;

displaying an audio/video data stream based on said first audio/video data on a display of said first audio/video device; and

routing via said switch in said first audio/video device, said second audio/video data to said fourth Ethernet physical layer device for delivery to said third Ethernet physical layer device, wherein said first audio/video device supports a network synchronization protocol that enables said first audio/video device to facilitate a connection between said second audio/video device and said third audio/video device through said first Ethernet physical layer device, said switch, and said fourth Ethernet physical layer device at a guaranteed level of bandwidth and latency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving comprises receiving 10GBASE-T communication at said first Ethernet physical layer device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first audio/video device is an audio/video receiver.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said first audio/video device is a DVD player.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said first audio/video device is a television.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising reserving, at said first audio/video device, a connection for said second audio/video data at a defined quality of service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said second audio/video data is not extracted by said first audio/video device.

8. A method in an audio/video network, comprising:

receiving, at a first Ethernet physical layer device of a first audio/video device, a packet from a second audio/video device;

examining a destination field of said received packet;

routing, by a switch in said first audio/video device, said received packet to an internal port when said examination indicates that said first audio/video device is the destination of said received packet and displaying, by a display contained in said first audio/video device, an audio/video data stream based on data contained within said received packet; and

routing, by said switch in said first audio/video device, said received packet to a second Ethernet physical layer device of said first audio/video device when said examination of said destination field indicates that a third audio/video device coupled to said second Ethernet physical layer device via a second Ethernet cable is the destination of said received packet, wherein said first audio/video device supports a network synchronization protocol that enables said first audio/video device to facilitate a switched connection between said second audio/video device and said third audio/video device at a guaranteed level of bandwidth and latency.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said first audio video device is an audio speaker device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said first audio video device is a DVD player.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said first audio video device is a television.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising reserving, at said first audio/video device, a switched connection between said second audio/video device and said third audio/video device at a defined quality of service.

13. An audio/video display device, comprising:

a first Ethernet physical layer device that is coupled to an audio/video source device via a first Ethernet cable;

a second Ethernet physical layer device that is coupled to an audio/video destination device via a second Ethernet cable;

a display that is configured to display audio/video data; and

a switch that is coupled to said first Ethernet physical layer device and said second Ethernet physical layer device, said switch being configured to route a first packet that is received at said first Ethernet physical layer device to an internal port when a destination field of said first packet indicates that said audio/video display device is a destination for said first packet, wherein audio/video data that is contained in said first packet is displayed on said display, said switch being further configured to route a second packet that is received at said first Ethernet physical layer device to said second Ethernet physical layer device for delivery to said audio/video destination device when a destination field of said second packet indicates that said audio/video destination device is a destination for said second packet, wherein said audio/video display device supports a network synchronization protocol that enables said audio/video display device to facilitate a connection between said audio/video source device and said audio/video destination device through said first Ethernet physical layer device, said switch, and said second Ethernet physical layer device at a guaranteed level of bandwidth and latency.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said first Ethernet physical layer device is a 10GBASE-T physical layer device.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein said audio/video display device is an audio/video receiver.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein said audio/video display device is a DVD player.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein said audio/video display device is a television.