Patent ID: 6442136
Filing Date: 2002-08-27
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A traffic shaping control device used in an ATM communication network for keeping a time interval between adjacent ATM cells of each of connections at a prescribed value or more, comprising:repetition number affixing means for affixing a repetition number of â€œ0â€  to an input cell; delay-controlled cell detecting means for determining based on a VPI/VCI value of the input cell or a delayed cell whether or not the cell concerned is a first type cell which, inclusive of another cell of an identical connection, is not currently present in a delay loop; delay-passed cell detecting means for determining, based on the VPI/VCI value of the input cell or the delayed cell and the repetition number affixed thereto, whether the cell concerned is a second type cell which has passed through the delay loop with another cell of an identical connection currently present in the delay loop, or a third type cell which has not yet passed through the delay loop but with another cell of an identical connection currently present in the delay loop, and for outputting the third type cell with an initial number of repetitions set as the repetition number affixed thereto; number-of-repetitions monitoring means for receiving the second type cell from said delay-passed cell detecting means, checking the repetition number affixed to the received cell to determine whether or not the cell has passed through the delay loop a number of times corresponding to the initial number of repetitions thereof, and for outputting the cell with the repetition number thereof decremented by â€œ1â€  if the cell has not yet passed through the delay loop a number of times corresponding to the initial number of repetitions thereof; flow rate calculating means for receiving the first type cell from said delay-controlled cell detecting means and a cell which, among second type cells, has passed through the delay loop a number of times corresponding to the initial number of repetitions thereof, from said number-of-repetitions monitoring means, calculating a flow rate of the received cell to determine whether or not a predetermined reference flow rate is exceeded by the calculated flow rate, and for outputting a cell of which the calculated flow rate is higher than the predetermined reference flow rate with the initial number of repetitions set as the repetition number affixed thereto; repetition number deleting means for deleting the repetition number from a cell of which the calculated flow rate is judged to be not exceeding the predetermined reference flow rate by said flow rate calculating means; and delay means for subjecting the third type cell output from said delay-passed cell detecting means, the second type cell which is output from said number-of-repetitions monitoring means and of which the repetition number has been decremented, and the first or second type cell which is output from said flow rate calculating means and of which the repetition number has been decremented, to a delay process for a predetermined time and outputting the delayed cell.