US 6,611,537 B1 · Synchronous network for digital media streams

Abstract

A network adapter for a synchronous logical ring network operates on existing physical twisted-pair telephone topologies. Information propagates around the logical ring, reaching every device on each revolution around the network. Network devices are full-duplex, transmitting and receiving information on every clock cycle. Network devices arbitrate to be elected the network clock device. By synchronizing all network devices to a single reference clock, and providing fixed frames of information propagating around the network at consistent time intervals, the logical ring network ensures that information propagates from one device to another at consistent time intervals. The fixed-length frames are divided into two independent streams: a data stream for the distribution of real-time continuous digital media streams; and a system command stream for the distribution of system commands.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A network adapter for connecting a device, via conductive media, to a synchronous communication network having a logical ring network topology, the network adapter comprising:

(a) one or more interface jacks to connect the device to a first adjacent device and a second adjacent device on the network, wherein the device and the first and second adjacent devices are synchronized to a common network clock;
and
(b) a transceiver coupled to the network for receiving a first signal from the first adjacent device and transmitting a second signal to the second adjacent device in a constant time counted by the common network clock;
(e) a clock to which the first and second adjacent devices will be synchronized if the clock is elected the common network clock;
and
(d) a clock arbitrator, synchronized to the clock, which causes the transceiver to transmit repeatedly to the second adjacent device a first ID signal identifying the device and having a first priority, until the transceiver receives from the first adjacent device either that first ID signal or a second ID signal having a second priority greater than the first priority.

3 more elements

A network adapter for connecting a device to a synchronous communication network having a logical ring network topology, the network adapter comprising:

(a) one or more interface jacks to connect the device to a first adjacent device and a second adjacent device on the network, wherein the device and the first and second adjacent devices can be synchronized to a common network clock;
and
(b) a transceiver coupled to the network that can receive from the first adjacent devices and transmit to the second adjacent device in a constant time counted by the common network clock a plurality of signals representing data bits organized into fixed-length frames of information, wherein the fixed-length frames of information can propagate among devices on the network in a fixed device order along a default network path forming a logically closed loop, wherein a subset of the data bits in the fixed-length frames of information represents data stream channels of information that can contain streams of digital audio or video data, and wherein the data stream channels can be reallocated by reassigning to a channel different data bit positions within the fixed-length frame of information.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Synchronous network for digital media streams

Life of this patent

Synchronous network for digital media streams

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims28