Multiplex communications – Pathfinding or routing – Switching a message which includes an address header
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-24
2002-10-22
Nguyen, Steven (Department: 2665)
Multiplex communications
Pathfinding or routing
Switching a message which includes an address header
C370S403000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06470012
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a communication system for mutually connecting a plurality of repeating devices (or relay devices) each of which has one or more node terminals connected thereto, so that data communication is carried out between one node terminal and the other node terminal, between one repeating device and the other repeating device or between the node terminal and the repeating device. More particularly, it relates to a communication system that, for example, even when the data communication is executed between the node terminals, communication data can be certainly transmitted from one node terminal as a “sender” to another node terminal as a “destination” alias receiver without reducing its data volume transmitted per unit time. Further, the present invention also relates to a data format to be used in such a communication system.
Additionally, the present invention relates to the communication system by which it is possible to simplify an address management therein and allow an additional new node terminal to be communicated with the existing node terminals instantly, thereby providing the communication system which is capable of coping with, namely, “plug and play” function.
Conventionally, there is a known communication system which connects a plurality of repeating devices with each other, each of the repeating devices having one or more node terminals connected thereto, so that data communication can be carried out among the respective node terminals, among the respective repeating devices, or among the node terminals and the repeating devices.
For example, when the communication data is transmitted from one node terminal as the sender to a specific node terminal as the address in the above-mentioned conventional communication system, it has been taken place to provide a communication frame containing commands and data as objects to be transmitted with a sender/destination description area for designating information of the sender and the destination. In detail, in case of designating a sender, both an address of the node terminal as the sender and an additional address of a repeating device involving the specified node terminal are described in the sender/destination description area. Again, in case of designating the destination, both an address of the node terminal as the receiver and an additional address of a repeating device involving the destined node terminal are together described in the sender/destination description area similarly. In this way, the communication data is transmitted from the specified node terminal as the sender to the designated node terminal as the destination in the conventional communication system.
In accordance with such a designating method in the above-mentioned conventional communication system, however, when it is required to exchange data between the node terminals, the addresses of the node terminals and the addresses of the repeating devices involving the node terminals have to be described in the sender/destination description area established in the communication frame. Consequently, since a bit length that the sender/destination description area occupies in the communication data is increased, the conventional method contains a problem of difficulty to increase data transfer quantity per unit time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a communication system which is capable of transmitting communication data from a sender to a nominated destination without reducing data volume transmitted per unit time certainly, and a data format used in such a communication system.
It is an additional object to provide a communication system which is capable of simplifying management of addresses stored in the system and bringing a new node terminal, which is intended for additional connection with the repeating device, into its communicable condition instantly, in other words, “plug and play” function.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a communication system comprising a plurality of repeating devices each having one or more node terminals connected thereto, the repeating devices being connected with each other through a data transmitting path, whereby data communication is carried out between the node terminals, between the repeating devices, or between the node terminal and the repeating device, the repeating devices each comprising:
terminal address storing means for storing terminal addresses established to inherent values for the node terminals, respectively;
device address storing means for storing a device address established to an inherent value for the repeating device concerned and established to be distinguishable from the terminal addresses; and
header information adding means for adding sender/destination information of a sender or a destination to communication data which has been fed from the repeating device concerned or the one or more node terminals connected thereto, the header information adding means further sending the communication data with the sender/destination information toward the data transmitting path;
wherein the sender/destination information added to the communication data by the header information adding means includes either the terminal address stored in the terminal address storing means or the device address stored in the device address storing means.
With the above-mentioned arrangement, in operation, the header information adding means adds the sender/destination information to the communication data transmitted from the repeating device or the node terminal. Thereafter, the header information adding means sends the communication data with the sender/destination information toward the data transmitting path. Since the sender/destination information is constituted by either one of the terminal address stored in the terminal address storing means or the device address stored in the device address storing means, it is possible to shorten a bit length required for designating the address as a whole, comparing with the conventional system where both addresses of the repeating device and the associating node terminal(s) are incorporated to the communication data in order to designate the addresses of the sender/destination. Thus, it is possible to transmit the communication data from the sender to the nominated destination without reducing the data volume transmitted per unit time, certainly.
In accordance with the present invention, there is also provided a communication system comprising a plurality of repeating devices each having one or more node terminals connected thereto, the repeating devices being connected with each other through a data transmitting path, whereby data communication is carried out between the node terminals, between the repeating devices, or between the node terminal and the repeating device, the repeating devices each comprising:
terminal address storing means for storing terminal addresses established to inherent values for the node terminals, respectively;
device address storing means for storing a device address established to an inherent value for the repeating device concerned and established to be distinguishable from the terminal addresses; and
header information adding means for adding sender/destination information of a sender or a destination to communication data which has been fed from the repeating device concerned or the one or more node terminals connected thereto, the header information adding means further sending the communication data with the sender/destination information toward the data transmitting path;
wherein the sender/destination information added to the communication data by the header information adding means includes:
an identifier of short bit length, which is used in identifying which of the node terminal and the repeating device the sender or the destination of the communication data is related to; and
either one of the terminal address stored in the terminal address storing means and the device address stored in the device a
Nguyen Steven
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Yazaki -Corporation
LandOfFree
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