Patent ID: 6711130
Filing Date: 2004-03-23
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A data transmitting apparatus for transmitting cells through plural virtual channels, comprising:a host controller receiving a request for data transmission, and including a memory for storing a first piece of data information representative of an allowed cell rate, a second piece of data information representative of a peak cell rate and a third piece of data information representative of a minimum cell rate for each of said plural virtual channels; and an available bit rate scheduler connected to said host controller, and including a timer incrementing a present time at intervals each equal to a time period required for transmitting each of said cells, an allowed cell rate scheduler connected to said host controller and said timer and receiving said first piece of data information, said third piece of data information and said present time so as to determine a next transmission time and a time limit for a virtual channel selected from said plural virtual channels, a content addressable memory having plural memory locations respectively storing data transmission times for said plural virtual channels, a retriever connected to said allowed cell rate scheduler, said host controller and said content addressable memory and checking said content addressable memory to see whether or not at least one of said data transmission times is equal to one of said next transmission time and said present time, and a write-in controller connected to said retriever and said content addressable memory and writing said next transmission time in one of said memory locations as a data transmission time when there is not any data transmission time equal to said next transmission time, said write-in controller further writing a time not later than said time limit as a data transmission time when there is a data transmission time equal to said next transmission time, said host controller outputting the data transmission time equal to said present time so as to transmit a cell through said virtual channel.