Patent ID: 6781985
Filing Date: 2004-08-24
Classification: H04J,H04Q

Abstract:
A time-division multiplexer for demultiplexing, into individual time slots, time-division multiplexed data in a receive direction received via from a network via a trunk unit, and sending the demultiplexed data to a prescribed tributary unit, and for multiplexing, to a prescribed time slot, data in a transmit direction which enters from tributary units and sending the multiplexed data to the network via the trunk unit, said time-division multiplexer comprising:a trunk bus which has a receive trunk bus in the receive direction and a transmit trunk bus in the transmit direction, each trunk bus being connected to the trunk unit; a tributary bus which has a receive tributary bus in the receive direction and a transmit tributary bus in the transmit direction each tributary bus being connected to the tributary units; a time-slot interchange unit which interchanges time slots of the receive trunk bus and time slots of the receive tributary bus in the receive direction and interchanges time slots of the transmit tributary bus and time slots of the transmit trunk bus in the transmit direction; a common channel signaling controller for executing control for dynamic assignment of time slots on the trunk side and time slots on the tributary side based upon a common channel signaling message, and sending said time-slot interchange unit a request to interchange the assigned time slots; and a control bus through which the units communicate with one another; wherein in the receive direction, said common channel signaling controller obtains a vacant time slot of the receive tributary bus and adopts this time slot as a time slot TB on the tributary side; sends a request for interchange of a time slot TA on the trunk side and the time slot TB on the tributary side to said time-slot interchange unit via the control bus; and notifies a tributary unit of the time slot TB on the tributary side via the control bus; said time-slot interchange unit interchanges data in the time slot TA on the trunk side with that in the time slot TB on the tributary side based upon the timeslot interchange request; and the tributary unit accepts data from the receive tributary bus at the timing of the notified time slot TB.