Patent ID: 6674750
Filing Date: 2004-01-06
Classification: H04J,H04L

Abstract:
A method for communicating time division multiplexed data (TDM) and packet data over a shared bus comprising the steps of:dedicating a portion of a data transmission bandwidth of the shared bus to TDM data transmission; allocating the remaining data transmission bandwidth of the shared bus to packet data transmission; communicating TDM data over the shared bus, the communicating TDM data step further comprising: transmitting TDM data over the shared bus during a designated time slot, where the transmitting occurs without contending for the shared bus; and asserting a primary packet data transmission inhibit signal coincident with TDM data transmissions over the shared bus; communicating packet data over the shared bus, the communicating packet data step further comprising the steps of: evaluating the primary packet data transmission signal; contending for the shared bus, responsive to the evaluating step determining that the primary packet data transmission signal is de-asserted, where multiple packet modules are capable of contending contemporaneously; granting access to the shared bus to a winning packet module through a contention mechanism; evaluating a secondary packet data transmission inhibit signal; and transmitting a data packet over the shared bus by the winning packet module, responsive to the evaluating step determining that the secondary packet data transmission inhibit signal is de-asserted.