Time-division multiplexing apparatus

Abstract: A time-division multiplexing apparatus time-division multiplexes, in units of m bists, each bit of n-channel digital signals (n is a natural number more than 2), transmitted in a serial manner in synchronous to transmission clock pulses of a frequency of f0, by using m channels (m is a natural number smaller than n). Serial signals (I1 - In) supplied to n channels are respectively converted into m-bit signals (S10 - S17, S20 - S27, ..., Sn0 - Sn7) by means of shift register blocks (SR1 - SRn) provided for the n channels. The same bit outputs of the blocks are supplied, as an n-bit signal, to corresponding one of latch blocks (L11 - L18), and are latched in synchronous to latch pulses (LP) of a frequency of 1/m of f0. The outputs of the latch blocks are input to n : 1 selector blocks (SEL1 - SEL8). One of the bit signals of the selector blocks is selectively output in accordance with gate pulses (GP1 - GPn).

Description: This invention relates to a time-division multiplexing apparatus for time-division multiplexing each bit of n-channel digital input signals by using m channels in units of m bits. In general, an apparatus for time-division multiplexing n-channel digital signals in units of m bits is constructed as shown in Fig. 1. In this multiplexing apparatus, each bit of signals I1 - In (n is a natural number more than m) input in synchronous to a transmission clock frequency of f0 is time-division multiplexed by using 8 channels (i.e., m = 8) in units of 8 bits. Specifically, in the apparatus, the signals (8-bit byte serial digital signals input in synchronous to clock pulses CLK1 of a frequency f0) I1 - In are supplied to 8-stage shift registers SR1 - SRn, respectively. The shift registers SR1 - SRn each operate in synchronous to clock pulses CLK1. The 8-bit outputs of the registers SR1 - SRn are supplied to 8-bit D latches L31 - L3n, respectively. Clock pulses, whose frequency is 1/8 of that of the clock pulses CLK1, obtained by dividing the clock pulses CLK1 by means of a 1/8 divider 31, are used as latch pulses LP for determining respective latch time points of the D latches L31 - L3n. In Fig. 1, the outputs of the bits of the D latches L31 - L3n are denoted by LO10 - LO17, LO21 - LO27, ..., LOn0 - LOn7, in the order from the top, and are supplied to (n : 1) selectors SEL1 - SEL8, respectively. A selector control section 32 generates gate pulses GP1 - GPn for determining respective selection channels of the selectors SEL1 - SEL8. Specifically, the control section 32 generates n-bit gate pulses GP1 - GPn of a width 8/(n × f0) corresponding to each channel in synchronous to clock pulses CLK2 having a frequency of n × f0/8, and supplies them to the selectors SEL1 - SELn. The selectors in turn perform multiplexing by using the gate pulses GP1 - GPn. Fig. 2 shows an example of multiplexing performed in the above-described apparatus, i.e. shows a procedure for obtaining an output O1 from the selector SEL1. In this figure, reference codes S10, S20, ..., Sn0 denote the outputs of the shift registers SR1, SR2, ..., SRn supplied with the n-channel signals I1, I2, ..., In, respectively, reference symbol LP a latch pulse (for latching each input signal at rising), reference codes LO10, LO20, ..., LOn0 the 0th-bit outputs of D latch L31, L32, ..., L3n, respectively, reference codes GP1, GP2, ..., GPn gate pulses for selecting 1, 2, ..., n channels, respectively, and reference code O1 the output of the selector SEL1. In the above-described apparatus, the relationship between the 0th-bit output of each of the D latches L31 - L3n and the rising and falling of the gate pulses GP1 - GPn for the selectors SEL1 - SEL8 is shown in Fig. 3. Similarly, Fig. 4 shows the relationship between the 7th-bit output of the latches and the rising and falling of the gate pulses. In these figures, reference codes LO10 - LOn0 denote the 0th-bit outputs of the D latches L31 - L3n, reference codes LO17 - LOn7 the 7th-bit outputs, and GP1 - GPn gate pulses supplied to the selectors SEL1 - SEL8. As is evident from Figs. 3 and 4, the transmission time delay of the signal LOn0 is longer than that of the signal LO10 between the D latches L31 - L3n and selectors SEL1 - SEL8 since the signal line for the signal LOn0 is longer than that for the signal LO10, whereas the transmission time delay of the signal LO17 is longer than that of the signal LOn7 since the signal line for the signal LO17 is longer than that for the signal LOn7. As is shown in Fig. 3, since there is a time period of 8 (n - 1)/(n × f0) between the determination of the output Lon0 of the D latch L3n of the channel n and the generation of a gate pulse, the hatched signal to be multiplexed can be gated correctly, unless the transmission time delay is longer than the time period therebetween. However, as is shown in Fig. 4, since the transmission time delay of the signal of the channel 1 is longer than that of the signal of the channel n in the case of the 7th-bit output, the determination point of the output LO17 of the D latch L31 of the channel 1 will be retarded from the generation of the gate pulse GP1 by a selector control section 32, and hence the hatched signal to be multiplexed will not be able to be gated, if its transmission time delay exceeds the width 8/(n × f0) of the gate pulse. As described above, in the conventional time-division multiplexing apparatus, signal lines arranged between the D latches and n : 1 selectors have different lengths, so that in the case of time-division multiplexing n-channel inputs to produce m-channel outputs, the transmission time delay of a signal transmitted through one of the signal lines inevitably differs from that of a signal transmitted through another line. In particular, if the transmission time delay exceeds m/(n × f0), correct multiplexing cannot be performed. It is the object of the invention to provide a time-division multiplexing apparatus capable of performing correct multiplexing n-channel inputs, supplied in synchronous to transmission clock pulses of a frequency of f0, to produce m (< n) channel outputs irrespective of variations in the transmission time delay of the n-channel signals if the time delay is less than 1/f0, thereby allowing relatively large variations in the time delay, hence enabling digital signals to be transmitted at high speed and also enabling multiplexing of signals of a large number of channels. To attain the object, the time-division multiplexing apparatus for time-division multiplexing each bit of n-channel digital signals (n is a natural number more than 2), transmitted in a serial manner in synchronous to transmission clock pulses of a frequency of f0, by using m channels (m is a natural number smaller than n), the time-division multiplexing apparatus comprises: a number n of m stage shift register blocks respectively provided for n channels, for converting serial input signals of the n channels into m-bit shift signals, respectively; latch-pulse generating means for generating, as latch pulses, clock pulses whose frequency is 1/m of the frequency f0; a number m of latch blocks for latching n-bit parallel input signals in synchronous to the latch pulses (LP), respectively; first wiring means connecting the same bit output terminals of the n shift resistor blocks to n-bit parallel input terminals of corresponding one of the m latch blocks, respectively; a number m of n : 1 selectors blocks provided for the m latch blocks, for receiving the n-bit parallel signals and selectively outputting one of them in accordance with gate pulses; second wiring means connecting n-bit output terminals of the m latch blocks to n-bit input terminals of the n : 1 selector blocks, respectively; and gate pulse generating means for generating gate pulses in synchronous to clock pulses CLK to having a frequency of n × fo/m to cause the number m of n : 1 selector blocks to output n-bit inputs. This invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing a conventional time-division multiplexing apparatus; Fig. 2 is a timing chart showing the operation of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are timing charts useful in explaining the problems of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a circuit block diagram showing a time-division multiplexing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 6 is a timing chart showing the operation of the apparatus of Fig. 5. The invention will be explained with reference to Figs. 5 and 6 showing an embodiment thereof. Fig. 5 shows an apparatus for time-division multiplexing each bit of n-channel digital signals in units of 8 bits by using 8 channels (i.e., m = 8). In this figure, n-channel input digital signals (i.e., serial digital signals of an 8-bit byte input in synchronous to clock pulses CLK1 of a frequency of f0) I1 - In are supplied to the 8-stage shift registers SR1 - SRn which operate in synchronous to the clock pulses CLK1. 8-bit outputs from the shift registers SR1 - SRn are designated by reference codes S10 - S17, S20 - S27, ..., Sn0 - Sn7, respectively, in the order from the above in Fig. 5. The outputs of the shift registers SR1 - SRn are supplied to n-bit D latches L11 - L18 provided for the respective bits of the shift registers. The 0th-bit output terminal of each of the shift registers is connected to the n-bit input terminal of the D latch L11, while the 1st-bit output terminal of each of the shift registers is connected to the n-bit input terminal of the D latch L12. Similarly, the 7th-bit output terminal of each of the shift registers is connected to the n-bit input terminal of the D latch L18. Clock pulses, whose frequency is 1/8 of that of the clock pulses CLK1, obtained by a 1/8 divider 11 are used as the latch pulses LP for setting the time points at which latching is performed by the D latches L11 - L18. The n-bit outputs of the n-bit D latches L11 - L18 are supplied to (n : 1) selectors SEL1 - SEL8 provided corresponding to the D latches L11 - L18. Gate pulses GP1 - GPn for determining respective selection channels of the selectors SEL1 - SEL8 are generated by a selector control section 12. The control section 12 generates the gate pulses GP1 - GPn of a width of 8/(n × f0) corresponding to respective channels, in synchronous to clock pulses CLK2 of a frequency of (n × f0)/8, and sequentially supplies the gate pulses to the selectors SEL1 - SEL8. The selectors in turn perform multiplexing by using the gate pulses. Then, the operation of the apparatus described as above will be explained with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a timing chart showing the relationship between the input and output signals of the D latch L11. In this figure, reference codes S10 - Sn0 represent the respective 0th-bit outputs of the shift registers SR1 - SRn, reference codes LO11 - LO1n the outputs of the n-bit D latch 11, and reference codes GP1 - GPn gate pulses. As regards the 0th-bit output of each of the shift registers SR1 - SRn, the transmission time delay of a signal of a channel n is longer than that of a signal of a channel 1 since the signal line for the former signal is longer than that for the latter signal. On the other hand, regarding the 7th-bit output of each register, the transmission time delay of the signal of the channel 1 is longer than that of the signal of the channel n since the signal line for the former signal is longer than that for the latter signal. The output signals S10 - Sn0 of the registers SR1 - SRn, however, have a width of 1/f0. If the transmission time delay is shorter than the width, the latch pulse LP falls after the output Sn0 of the shift register SRn has been determined, as is shown in Fig. 6. Thus, the latch pulse LP can correctly latch the data (indicated by hatching) to be latched. The same may be said of the 1st- through 7th-bit outputs. The wire length between each bit of the n-bit D latches L11 - L18 and a corresponding one of the (n : 1) selectors SEL1 - SEL8 is set at substantially the same value. Accordingly, in each shift register, differences in transmission time delay between the latch pulses LP do not exceed the width of the gate pulses GP1 - GPn, and hence the apparatus of the invention is free from the conventional problem that part of the data to be multiplexed is gated before the entire data has reached. As is described above, in the time-division multiplexing apparatus of the invention, the wire length between each bit of the n-bit D latches L11 - L18 and a corresponding one of the (n : 1) selectors SEL1 - SEL8 is set at substantially the same value, so that correct multiplexing can be performed in byte units only if variations in transmission time delay fall within a range of 1/f0 or less. Thus, in the case of n > 8, relatively large variation in transmission time delay is allowable, which enables digital signals to be transmitted at high speed, and also enables a large number of channels to be incorporated. Though m is 8 in the above-described embodiment, the invention is not limited to this, but may be any other numeral smaller than n.

Claims: A time-division multiplexing apparatus for time-division multiplexing each bit of n-channel digital signals (n is a natural number more than 2) in units of m bits, transmitted in a serial manner in synchronous to transmission clock pulses of a frequency of f0, by using m channels (m is a natural number smaller than n), the time-division multiplexing apparatus having: a number n of shift register blocks (SR1 - SRn) respectively provided for n channels, for converting serial input signals (I1 - In) of the n channels into m-bit shift signals (S10 - S17, S20 - S27, ..., Sn0 - Sn7), respectively; latch-pulse generating means (11) for generating, as latch pulses (LP), clock pulses whose frequency is 1/m of the frequency f0; a number m of latch blocks (L11 - L18) for latching n-bit input signals in synchronous to the latch pulses (LP), respectively; a number m of n : 1 selectors blocks (SEL1 - SEL8) provided for the m latch blocks (L11 - L18), respectively, for receiving the n-bit signals and selectively outputting one of them in accordance with gate pulses (GP1 - GPn); and gate pulse generating means (12) for generating the gate pulses (GP1 - GPn) in synchronous to clock pulses whose frequency is n/m of the frequency f0, to cause the number m of n : 1 selector blocks (SEL1 - SEL8) to serially output n-bit inputs; the time-division multiplexing apparatus being characterized by comprising: first wiring means connecting the same bit output terminals of the n shift register blocks (SR1 - SRn) to n-bit input terminals of corresponding one of the m latch blocks (L11 - L18), respectively, for supplying n-bit signals; and second wiring means connecting n-bit output terminals of the m latch blocks (L11 - L18) to n-bit input terminals of the n : 1 selector blocks (SEL1 - SEL8), respectively. The time-division multiplexing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the wire length between the input terminal of each of the latch blocks (L11 - L18) and the output terminal of a corresponding one of the shift register blocks (SR1 - SRn) is arranged such that input bit data reaches each of the latch blocks within a time period of 1/f0 or less.

Inventors: IDE KAZUHIKO C O INTELLECTUAL, MORI TAKAKO C O INTELLECTUAL P, IDE, KAZUHIKO, C/O INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DIV., MORI, TAKAKO, C/O INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DIV.
Applicants: TOSHIBA KK, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
Application year: 1991
Main classification: H04J3
IPC codes: H04J3