Patent ID: 6393020
Filing Date: 2002-05-21
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A communication system, comprising:a plurality of local bus systems, each having a communication bus and a plurality of devices connected thereto and operative to communicate in a local synchronous protocol on the local communication bus; a global communication bus; a plurality of switch devices, each connectable to the global communication bus and to one of the local communication buses, wherein each switch device includes: a microcontroller; a global transceiver coupled between the microcontroller and the global communication bus, the microcontroller providing at least one global enabling signal to the global transceiver, wherein the microcontroller and the global transceiver selectively connect the global communication bus to the microcontroller; a tristate buffer coupled to the global communication bus, the corresponding local communication bus, and the microcontroller, the microcontroller providing at least one buffer enabling signal to the tristate buffer, wherein the microcontroller and the tristate buffer selectively connect the global communication bus and the local communication bus; a controller connected to a global communication bus and operative to transmitting signals thereon addressed a multiple or a selected individual switch device, and the switch device operative in response thereto to connect its local communication bus to the global communication bus for transmission of signals therebetween; and the controller operative to communicate with a selected local bus in its synchronous protocol.