Computerized apparatus with a high speed data bus

Computerized high-speed ring data bus apparatus, comprising:

• a plurality of computerized nodes;
• a plurality of data bus segments connecting each of the plurality of computerized nodes with two other of said plurality of computerized nodes so as to form a first data transport ring over which data can be communicated, at least one of the plurality of computerized nodes configured to generate a synchronization signal to which at least each of the other of the plurality of computerized nodes synchronize;
• and
• at least one application apparatus in data communication with at least one of the plurality of computerized nodes;
• and
• wherein said computerized high-speed ring data bus apparatus is configured such that the data can be communicated over said first data transport ring by each of said plurality of computerized nodes to each other of said plurality of computerized nodes;
• wherein the at least one of the plurality of computerized nodes configured to generate a synchronization signal is further configured to cause transmission of the generated synchronization signal over said first data transport ring for use by at least each of the other computerized nodes;
• and
• wherein the at least one of the plurality of computerized nodes configured to generate a synchronization signal comprises:
• (i) at least one receive differential signaling pair comprising first and second wire-based conductors that are part of a first bus segment;
• (ii) at least one output differential signaling pair comprising first and second wire-based conductors that are part of a second bus segment;
• and (iii) at least one amplifier apparatus in signal communication with at least one of the input and output differential signaling pairs, the at least one amplifier configured to cause amplification of at least a portion of a data signal received via the input differential signaling pair, or a data signal transmitted via the output differential signaling pair, respectively.

Computerized high-speed ring data bus apparatus, comprising:

• a plurality of computerized nodes, at least one of the plurality of computerized nodes configured to generate a synchronization signal to which at least each of the other of the plurality of computerized nodes synchronize;
• a plurality of data bus segments connecting each of the plurality of computerized nodes with two other of said plurality of computerized nodes so as to form a first data transport ring over which data can be communicated, the data bus segments each comprising at least two wire-based conductors configured as a differential signaling pair;
• and
• at least one application apparatus in data communication with at least one of the plurality of computerized nodes;
• and
• an apparatus configured to compensate for timing distortions, the timing distortions introduced by one or more of the data bus segments;
• wherein said computerized high-speed ring data bus apparatus is configured such that the data can be communicated over said first data transport ring by each of said plurality of computerized nodes to each other of said plurality of computerized nodes;
• wherein the at least one of the plurality of computerized nodes configured to generate a synchronization signal is further configured to cause transmission of the generated synchronization signal over said first data transport ring for use by at least each of the other computerized nodes;
• and
• wherein the timing distortions introduced by the one or more of the data bus segments comprise timing distortions introduced based on differences in at least one of:
• (i) a length of a first of the at least two wire-based conductors and a length of a second of the at least two wire-based conductors, and/or (ii) at least one electrical characteristic of the first of the at least two wire-based conductors and at least one electrical characteristic of the second of the at least two wire-based conductors.

Computerized high-speed ring data bus apparatus, comprising:

• a plurality of computerized nodes;
• a plurality of data bus segments connecting each of the plurality of computerized nodes with two other of said plurality of computerized nodes so as to form a first data transport ring over which data can be communicated, at least one of the plurality of computerized nodes configured to generate a synchronization signal to which at least each of the other of the plurality of computerized nodes synchronize;
• and
• at least one application apparatus in data communication with at east one of the plurality of computerized nodes;
• and
• wherein said computerized high-speed ring data bus apparatus is configured such that the data can be communicated over said first data transport ring by each of said plurality of computerized nodes to each other of said plurality of computerized nodes;
• wherein the at least one of the plurality of computerized nodes configured to generate a synchronization signal is further configured to cause transmission of the generated synchronization signal over said first data transport ring for use by at least each of the other computerized nodes;
• wherein the at least one of the plurality of computerized nodes in data communication with the at least one application apparatus comprises an interface and control (IC) circuit configured to at least provide a data interface between the at least one application apparatus and the first data transport ring;
• wherein the data communicated over said first data transport ring comprises a plurality of data frames or packets each having a plurality of bytes, the plurality of bytes of at least one of the frames or packets comprising source identification data, the source identification data configured to identify one of the plurality of computerized nodes which issued the at least one frame or packet;
• and
• wherein the one of the plurality of computerized nodes which issued the at least one frame or packet is configured to utilize the source identification data to determine that the at least one frame or packet has traversed an entirety of the first, data transport ring, and remove the at least one frame or packet from the first data transport ring.

Computerized high-speed ring data bus apparatus, comprising:

• a plurality of computerized nodes;
• a plurality of data bus segments connecting each of the plurality of computerized nodes with two other of said plurality of computerized nodes so as to form a first data transport ring over which data can be communicated, at least one of the plurality of computerized nodes configured to generate a synchronization signal to which at least each of the other of the plurality of computerized nodes synchronize;
• and
• at least one application apparatus in data communication with at least one of the plurality of computerized nodes;
• and
• wherein said computerized high-speed ring data bus apparatus is configured such that the data can be communicated over said first data transport ring by each of said plurality of computerized nodes to each other of said plurality of computerized nodes;
• wherein the at least one of the plurality of computerized nodes configured to generate a synchronization signal is further configured to cause transmission of the generated synchronization signal over said first data transport ring for use by at least each of the other computerized nodes;
• wherein the at least one of the plurality computerized nodes in data communication with the at least one application apparatus comprises an interface and control (IC) circuit configured to at least provide a data interface between the at least one application apparatus and the first data transport ring;
• wherein the data interface between the at least one application apparatus and the first data transport ring comprises at least:
• (i) a payload or application data interface comprising at least one data bus;
• and (i) a control data interface comprising at least one data bus;
• wherein the payload or application data interface comprises at least one timing base used to transfer payload or application data between the at least one application apparatus and the IC circuit, the at least one timing base being different than a timing base associated with the synchronization signal;
• wherein the at least one timing base used to transfer payload or application data between the at least one application apparatus and the IC circuit is slower than the timing base associated with the synchronization signal;
• and
• wherein the data bus segments each comprise at least one differentially signaled pair of optical or electrical signal conductors, the at least one differentially signaled pair configured to transmit a serialized bitstream derived from at least the transferred payload or application data.

Computerized apparatus for use in a synchronous data ring network, the computerized apparatus comprising:

• an application apparatus comprising:
• a plurality of data bus interfaces;
• and
• computerized logic in data communication with the plurality of data bus interfaces and configured to generate data packets comprised of one or more of payload data, address data, and control data and cause transmission of the generated data packets via one or more of the plurality of data bus interfaces;
• and
• computerized interface and control (IC) apparatus in data communication with the plurality of data bus interfaces and configured to at least provide a data interface between the application apparatus and a data transport ring of the synchronous data ring network, the computerized IC apparatus comprising:
• at least one receive port in data communication with a first data bus segment of the data transport ring, the at least one receive port configured to receive serialized data transmitted over the first data bus segment;
• and
• at least one transmit port in data communication with a second data bus segment of the data transport ring, the at least one transmit port configured to transmit serialized data over the second data bus segment;
• wherein the computerized IC apparatus is further configured to:
• receive transmitted ones of the generated data packets;
• utilize the one or more of the payload data, address data, and control data of the received generated data packets to generate one or more synchronous frame structures for transmission via the at least one transmit port;
• insert source identification data into the one or more synchronous frame structures;
• receive the one or more synchronous frame structures via the at least one receive port after transmission thereof onto the data transport ring;
• extract the inserted source identification data from the received one or more synchronous frame structures;
• and
• utilize the extracted source identification data to cause removal of the received one or more synchronous frame structures from the data transport ring.

A method of processing data within a computerized ring network apparatus having a plurality of computerized nodes, a plurality of data bus segments connecting the plurality of computerized nodes to form a data transport ring, an application apparatus in data communication with one computerized node of the plurality of computerized nodes, and an interface and control (IC) apparatus in data communication with the application apparatus, the method comprising:

• transmitting packet data from the application apparatus to the one computerized node via at least one data interface between the application apparatus and the one computerized node, the transmitted packet data comprising payload data, control data, and address data;
• processing the transmitted packet data to cause placement of the payload data, control data, and address data within respective ones of prescribed fields within at least one data frame structure;
• causing transmission of at least a portion of the at least one data frame structure as a serialized bitstream over at least one of the plurality of data bus segments via at least one differentially signaled pair of optical or electrical conductors;
• inserting, via the IC apparatus, source identification data into the at least one data frame structure, the source identification data configured to identify one of the plurality of computerized nodes which issued the at least one data frame structure;
• and
• utilizing, via the one of the plurality of computerized nodes Which issued the at least one data frame structure, the source identification data to determine that the at least one data frame structure has traversed an entirety of the data transport ring, the traversal of the entirety of the data transport ring comprising a normal operational condition, the determination that the at least one data frame structure has traversed the entire data transport ring used by the computerized ring network apparatus to cause subsequent processing of the at least one data frame structure.