Asynchronous transfer mode interface module

Details Asynchronous transfer mode interface module Asynchronous transfer mode interface module

1998-12-29

2004-06-22

Nguyen, Steven H. D (Department: 2663)

Multiplex communications

Pathfinding or routing

Switching a message which includes an address header

C370S474000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06754217

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to an interface module of an asynchronous transfer mode(hereinafter, referring to ATM) terminal using the ATM for transmitting information, particularly to an ATM interface module having an interfacing function required to ATM communication terminals which supports other services and capable of interfacing with the other upper layer service modules by changing an interface module software according to a respective service type.
2. Background
Generally, the ATM terminal using the ATM is consisted of a network connection module unit for connecting to the ATM network, and a service function process module for processing the service to be provided through the terminal. Here, a main processor inside the service function process module unit, controls the network connection module unit and the service function process module unit.
For instance, referring to
FIG. 1
a
, the ATM communication terminal of providing a video on demand service(VODS), comprises a network connection module unit
10
and a service function process module
20
. Here, the network connection module unit
10
comprises a physical layer connection unit
10
-
1
, and a physical layer framer/deframer
10
-
2
. And the service function process module
20
comprises a main processor unit
20
-
1
, and an ATM processing unit
20
-
2
, a MPEG(Moving Picture Experts Group)-2 system demultiflexer
20
-
3
, a video processing unit
20
-
4
, an audio processing unit
20
-
5
, and a user interface unit
20
-
6
.
Referring to
FIG. 1
b
, the ATM communication terminal service may be briefly explained when the above terminals are operated. It is assumed that the ATM communication terminals have a same composition in
FIG. 1
a.
It is noted that the ATM communication terminal already has a set value for connecting to the ATM network via the user interface. The ATM communication terminal has an allocated channel path for receiving/sending data from/to the video on demand(VOD) server by connecting to the ATM network(in which ATM exchanges are included). And the ATM communication terminal requires a content of the VOD server via the channel path for sending and receives the content of the VOD server data via the channel path for receiving. And a user selects a video title by using the received content and then requires to receive the data to the VOD server via the channel path for sending.
It will be in detail explained how to establish the service processing procedures from the VOD server via the ATM network by followed 3 types.
A first type of procedure is that the channel path is allocated by connecting to the ATM network. A second type of procedure is that a general data is sent/received via sending/receiving paths, and a last type of procedure is that a received MPEG(moving picture experts group)-2 TS(transport stream) is processed.
The VOD server stores the MPEG-2 TS. And the MPEG-2 TS type and a method for mapping the stream to an ATM cells are shown in
FIG. 1
c.
In the first type procedure for allocating the channel path by connecting to the ATM network, the ATM communication terminal has a process module for allocating an ATM path in the main processor unit
20
-
1
. The main processor unit
20
-
1
receives a data and requires a process of a signaling cell to the ATM processing unit
20
-
2
by composing a payload of a signaling cell, in which the data includes a content which tells that a user wants to connect to the VOD server. The ATM processing unit
20
-
2
composes a completed signaling cell by inserting a signaling cell header, and then sends the cell to the physical layer framer/deframer unit
10
-
2
. The physical layer framer/deframer unit
10
-
2
maps the received ATM cells in a payload area which has a frame type commonly used in the physical layer. And the physical layer framer/deframer unit
10
-
2
inserts an overhead information in the mapped ATM cell according to a content which is initialized in the main processor unit
20
-
1
. Here, the ATM cell having the overhead information is a completed physical layer frame. The physical layer framer/deframer unit
10
-
2
sends the completed physical layer frame to the physical layer connection unit
10
-
1
. And the physical layer connection unit
10
-
1
changes the frame to a signal which is commonly used in the ATM network, and sends the signal to the ATM network.
A signal received from the ATM network by passing through an opposite procedure, is converted into a frame type, which is commonly used in the physical layer, through the physical layer connection unit
10
-
1
by using a deframer function in the physical layer framer/deframer unit
10
-
2
. And then, after selecting the ATM cell in the payload area except the overhead information, the selected ATM cell is sent to the ATM processing unit
20
-
2
. The ATM processing unit
20
-
2
determines that the received ATM cell includes a signaling data by using an ATM cell header information, sends the payload of the cell to the main processor unit
20
-
1
in case of including the signaling cell, and then notifies to the main processor unit
20
-
1
that the cell processing is completed.
The main processor unit
20
-
1
analyzes the payload of the received cell with a data in order to interface with the VOD server, in which the data may be used for setting a channel for receiving/sending from/to the VOD server. Here, a channel which receives the MPEG data, is commonly differentiated from a channel which receives the general data. And also it is common that a channel path for sending is allocated.
In the second type procedure of sending/receiving the general data via the sending/receiving path, a receiving process is the same as the first type in composing the signaling cell. Here, it is the same that when the header information of the ATM cell is sent, the channel path which is allocated in the signaling cell process unit, is used. And also it is same that when the ATM cell received from the ATM processing unit
20
-
2
, is processed, the channel path which is allocated from the signaling cell processing unit is used. When the general data is sent/received, the same data structure as used in the VOD server is generally used.
In the last type procedure of processing the received MPEG-2 TS, the ATM processing unit
20
-
2
sends the payload area of the ATM cell header information except the header to the main processor unit
20
-
1
, after mapping the MPEG-2 TS in the ATM cell payload and sending the mapped MPEG-2 TS to the ATM terminal. The main processor unit
20
-
1
analyzes whether the payload processed from the ATM processing unit
20
-
2
, is the signaling cell, the general data, or the content including the MPEG-2 TS by using the content processed from the ATM processing unit
20
-
2
.
The main processor unit
20
-
1
stores the content including the MPEG-2 TS, temporarily. And the main processor unit
20
-
1
selects the MPEG-2 TS only, and then sends the selected stream to a MPEG-2 system demultiflexer
20
-
3
. The MPEG-2 system demultiflexer
20
-
3
analyzes the received MPEG-2 TS and separates the MPEG-2 TS into a video stream and an audio stream. And the MPEG-2 system demultiflexer
20
-
3
sends the video stream to a video process unit
20
-
4
and the audio stream to an audio process unit
20
-
5
respectively, in order that the user may watch the video.
The main processor unit
20
-
1
is easy to be overloaded because of initiating the physical layer framer/deframer unit
10
-
2
, the ATM processing unit
20
-
2
, the MPEG-2 system demultiflexer
20
-
3
, the video processing unit
20
-
4
, the audio processing unit
20
-
5
, and the user interface unit
20
-
6
, and have a service process module function which is required by each process module. Accordingly, high capacity processor should be required. And also there are disadvantages, such that the network connection module unit and an upper service processing module unit are composed respectively and it is united to one processor after the overall shape is changed w

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