Patent ID: 8660146

Claim:
A multiplexer/demultiplexer (MUX/DEMUX) system for multiplexing and demultiplexing information from a plurality of traffic channels configured according to a Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH) standard into a composite signal transferred to and from a telecommunications interface, wherein the system comprises: a PDH traffic interface receiving PDH channel signals from a plurality of PDH channels; a bit-pipe interface receiving a bit-pipe traffic data stream having a variable rate and including data transported as packages; a composite signal generation module and interface that outputs and receives a single composite serial data stream including, in a single composite format, information from the received PDH channel signals as well as the bit-pipe traffic stream; a MUX frame controller; a frame synchronization generator that generates frame syncs for the MUX frame controller; said MUX frame controller being arranged to sense a change in a rate of the composite serial data stream and thereupon being arranged to change the capacity of the variable-rate bit-pipe accordingly, but without changing a frame structure of the composite serial data stream, at least one frame format memory arranged for storing frame format descriptions, each frame format description including a first portion for committed data and a second portion for any uncommitted data, wherein the frame format descriptions are expressed as records, such that each record activates a corresponding source and enables the data path MUX to form the composite data stream the frame format descriptions being stored such that committed and uncommitted data are transmitted alternately; and the composite signal generation module and interface being arranged for generating the single composite serial data stream by sequentially reading the frame format descriptions from the frame format memory, thereby alternately reading and adding to the single composite serial data stream the first and second portions.