Time start in the forward path
AssigneeADC Telecommunications, Inc.
InventorsJohn Hedin, Donald Bauman, Jeffrey Cannon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The synchronization of timing between devices in a communication system is presented. In particular, in one embodiment, a method of synchronizing timing of communications between a software module and a host card in a forward direction is presented. The method comprises reading a time start message in a header of a page of data received from the software module and transmitting the page of data when the time start message matches a time of a time clock in the host card.
Claims30
A method of synchronizing timing of communications between a software module and a host card, the method comprising:
- reading a time start message in a header of a page of data received from the software module;
- and
- transmitting the page of data when the time start message matches a time of a time clock in the host card.
A method of synchronizing the time of communications in a communication system, the method comprising:
- calculating a time start message based in least in part on a time stamp in a received page of data and a delay;
- embedding the time start message in a header of a transmit page containing data samples;
- comparing the time start message with a then current time from a time clock in an interface card;
- and
- when the time start message matches the then current time of the time clock within a select tolerance, transmitting the data samples to a remote head.
A host card for a communication system, the host card comprising:
- at least one inbound buffer adapted to receive pages of data samples from a processing module, each page of data including a time start message in a header;
- a time clock;
- compare circuitry adapted to compare a then current time from the time clock with a time start message in a header of a page of data;
- and
- a transmit engine associated with each inbound buffer, each transmit engine adapted to transmit an associated page of data when the compare circuitry determines that the then current time matches a time start message in a header of the page of data.
A communication system comprising:
- a radio head unit adapted to transmit and receive data samples from one or more communication devices;
- and
- a server in communication with the radio head card, the server including,
- a call processing module adapted to process communication signals, and
- at least one interface card in communication with the call processing module, each interface card including a synchronization circuit adapted to synchronize the timing of communication signals between the call processing module and the interface card.
A communication system, the communication system comprising:
- a means for determining a time to start transmission of a page of data samples;
- a means for embedding a time start message of the time to start transmission of the page of data in a header of the page of data;
- a means of comparing the time start message with a time of a time clock in a host card;
- and
- a means of transmitting the page of data when the time start message matches the time of the time clock within select tolerances.
A method of operating a communication system, the method comprising:
- coupling data samples to at least one transmit buffer;
- monitoring each transmit buffer for buffer underflow conditions;
- and
- when an underflow condition is encountered, replacing valid data samples with underflow zero data samples.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.