Device and method related to telecommunication networks

A connection device for providing connections in an exchange unit, wherein said exchange unit provides a connection between at least one incoming telecommunication line for incoming traffic and at least one outgoing telecommunication line (PCM3) for outgoing traffic, wherein signals are transferred over telecommunication lines in time slots (TS1, TS2, . . . , TS32) in consecutive frames, wherein a traffic channel fills a particular, a part of a particular or more than a particular time slot in several consecutive frames, said connection device comprising:

• at least one output buffer (76) for each outgoing telecommunication line for storing signals to be sent in at least one frame;
• a message reading device (68) connected to said at least one output buffer, wherein the message reading device is arranged to receive at least one message (114) from a corresponding message writing device (66), said at least one message comprising a payload (122) and an address, wherein said payload comprises at least a part of one or a limited number is signals to be sent in a traffic channel in one or several consecutive frames, and wherein said address (126, 128) points to said message reading device;
• and store the payload (122) in at least one, at least indirectly determined by the address, position in said output buffer for sending in a traffic channel in at least one time slot or a part of a time slot in at least one frame via the at least one outgoing telecommunication line, wherein the length of the at least one message can be varied.

An exchange unit comprising:

• a superior supervising means (32) for establishing and controlling telecommunication connections through the exchange unit;
• at least one connection device (61), said connection device comprising;
• at least one first input buffer (74) connected to a first telecommunication line (PCM2), over which signals are transferred in time slots (TS1, TS2, . . . , TS32), in consecutive frames, wherein a traffic channel takes up a particular, a part of a particular or more than a particular time slot in several consecutive frames, and wherein the first input buffer receives and stores at least one frame;
• at least one second output buffer (76) connected to a second outgoing telecommunication line (PCM3) for storing signals to be sent, in said outgoing telecommunication line, in time slots in consecutive frames, wherein a traffic channel fills a particular, a part of a particular or more than a particular time slot in several consecutive frames;
• a second message reading device (68) connected at least to the second output buffer (76);
• a first message writing device (66) connected to at least the first input buffer (74) and
• a first descriptor write unit (102) connected to said first message writing device, wherein said first descriptor write unit comprises descriptors (108, 110, 112) established in advance, for signals received in the first input buffer, and wherein each descriptor comprises an address (125, 126, 127, 128);
• wherein the first message writing device is arranged to form a message by adding an address (126, 127, 128) from a descriptor (112) in the first descriptor write unit to a payload (122) for each traffic channel, wherein said payload comprises at least a part of one or a limited number of signals received in said traffic channel and said address points to the second message reading device (68) and to, at least indirectly (125), at least one time slot in at least one frame in which the payload is to be sent on the second telecommunication line (PCM3), and to send the message to the second message reading device (68) associated with the output buffer, wherein the length of the messages can be varied;
• and
• wherein the second message reading device is arranged to receive and store the payload (122) in at least one position in the second output buffer based at least indirectly on the address, said payload to be sent in at least one time slot or a part of a time slot in at least one frame via the second telecommunication line.

A method for sending signals within an exchange unit from a first telecommunication line (PCM2) for incoming traffic to a second telecommunication line (PCM3) for outgoing traffic, over which telecommunication lines signals are transmitted in time slots (TS1, TS2, . . . , TS32) in consecutive frames, wherein a traffic channel on a telecommunication line fills up a particular, a part of a particular or more than a particular time slot in several consecutive frames the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving at least one frame with signals from the first telecommunication line (140);
• adding, for each traffic channel in a first message writing device (66), an address (126, 128) to a payload (122) to form a message (114), wherein said payload comprises at least a part of one or a limited number of signals received in at least one frame on the first telecommunication line, and said address point to a second message reading device (68) and to, at least indirectly, at least one time slot or a part of a time slot in at least one frame in which the payload is to be sent on the second outgoing telecommunication line (142);
• and
• sending the message through the exchange unit from the first message writing device to the second message reading device (144-166), wherein the length of the messages are variable.

A method for connecting signals in an exchange unit, the method comprising the steps of:

• generating at least one message (114, 142), each message having a pay-load (122) and an address (125, 126, 127, 128) comprising a transport network address (127, 128), and at least one of the messages has a local address (126), comprised in the address, and a payload comprising at least a part of one or a limited number of signals received in a traffic channel filling a particular, a part of a particular or more than a particular time slot in several consecutive frames received on a first telecommunication line (PCM2, PCM4) connected to the exchange unit,
• coupling, in a first routing device (60), the message to a transport network if the message has a transport network address differing from an address assigned to the first routing device (148, 150),
• receiving, in a second routing device (60), the message from the transport network (146),
• retransmitting the message if the transport network address differs from an address assigned to the second routing device (148, 150), otherwise keeping the message in the routing device;
• retransmitting the message, if it has a local address, to a message reading device (68;
• 148, 150) determined by the local address, and
• sending the pay-load in one or several consecutive frames on a second telecommunication line (176) outgoing from the exchange unit.