Communication network traffic control element
AssigneeBAE SYSTEMS plc
InventorsStephen Richard Doe, Robert John Salter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A communication network traffic control element is disclosed which is arranged to receive traffic, such as voice and data, as a plurality of discrete traffic packets at an input and communicate the traffic as a serial traffic stream to an output. The traffic control element can include a receiver which is arranged to receive the traffic packets, and a processor which is arranged to communicate the serial traffic stream to the output. The processor can include a buffer to vary a traffic output rate from the processor independently of an input rate of traffic flow to the receiver.
Claims17
A communication network traffic control element which is arranged to receive traffic as a plurality of discrete traffic packets at an input and communicate the traffic as a serial traffic stream to an output, the traffic control element comprising:
- a receiver configured to receive discrete network traffic packets;
- a plurality of processors operating in parallel and an output associated with each processor, each of the processors being configured to process the traffic packets to convert the traffic packets to a serial traffic stream and communicate the serial traffic stream to the associated output;
- and
- a buffer included in each of the processors, said buffer being configured for receiving traffic packets from the receiver in accordance with a traffic request signal which is communicated from the buffer to the receiver, and for controlling a rate of traffic packet flow from the receiver to the processor to enable a rate of serial traffic output from the processor to be varied independently of a rate of traffic packet input to the receiver.
A method of communicating traffic received as a plurality of discrete traffic packets at an input, to an output as a serial traffic stream, the method comprising:
- receiving a plurality of discrete traffic packets at a receiver;
- controlling a flow of traffic from the receiver to a buffer associated with a processor, said processor being one of a plurality of processors operating in parallel, an output being associated with each processor, said flow of traffic from the receiver to the buffer being in accordance with a traffic request signal which is communicated from the buffer to the receiver;
- converting the discrete traffic packets to a serial traffic stream using the processors;
- and
- communicating the traffic from the processor to its associated output at a traffic flow rate independently of a traffic flow rate into the receiver.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.