초록 ▼

An asynchronous, high-speed, fiber optic local area network originally developed for tactical environments with additional benefits for other environments such as spacecraft, and the like. The network supports ordinary data packet traffic simultaneously with synchronous T1 voice traffic over a commo

An asynchronous, high-speed, fiber optic local area network originally developed for tactical environments with additional benefits for other environments such as spacecraft, and the like. The network supports ordinary data packet traffic simultaneously with synchronous T1 voice traffic over a common token ring channel; however, the techniques and apparatus of this invention can be applied to any deterministic class of packet data networks, including multitier backbones, that must transport stream data (e.g., video, SAR, sensors) as well as data. A voice interface module parses, buffers, and resynchronizes the voice data to the packet network employing elastic buffers on both the sending and receiving ends. Voice call setup and switching functions are performed external to the network with ordinary PABX equipment. Clock information is passed across network boundaries in a token passing ring by preceeding the token with an idle period of non-transmission which allows the token to be used to re-establish a clock synchronized to the data. Provision is made to monitor and compensate the elastic receiving buffers so as to prevent them from overflowing or going empty.

대표청구항 ▼

In a communications network for transmitting packets of information between nodes attached to a common communications path, the improvement for permitting a plurality of nodes to transmit and recieve voice, video, and other forms of real-time traffic between one another over one local area network c

In a communications network for transmitting packets of information between nodes attached to a common communications path, the improvement for permitting a plurality of nodes to transmit and recieve voice, video, and other forms of real-time traffic between one another over one local area network comprising: a plurality of interfacing units operably connecting respective ones of the nodes to the communications path, each interfacing unit comprising, (a) transmitter means for transmitting onto the communications path; (b) receiver means for removing transmissions from the communications path; (c) a non-fixed length, expandable, elastic FIFO transmitting buffer connected to receive continuous real-time transmissions from its associated node; (d) a non-fixed length, expandable, elastic FIFO receiving buffer connected to receive transmissions from said receiver means; (e) transmitting logic means for removing said real-time transmissions from said transmitting buffer, for dividing said real-time transmissions into a sequence of packets, and for using said transmitter means to transmit said packets onto the communications path; and, (f) receiving logic means for receiving said packets from said receiver means, for storing said packets into said receiving buffer, and for removing said packets from said receiving buffer and transmitting them to the associated node in contiguous form to reconstruct said real-time transmissions.