ATM communication system

Claim 2

An ATM communication system including: cell synchronization function means for detecting a header of a cell from an input bit string, and adding a mark to the header of the cell; ATM switch means for performing cell switching processing of the cell; routing tag adding function means for transforming a cell output from said cell synchronization function means, and having a length suitable for transmission into a cell having a length to be able to be subjected to the cell switching processing by said ATM switch means; routing tag deleting function means for transforming the cell having the length to be able to be subjected to the cell switching processing by said ATM switch means into a cell having the length suitable for transmission; preliminary processing function means for performing predetermined processing necessary for a cell synchronization operation performed by said cell synchronization function means for the cell having the length suitable for transmission; and function means, arranged between a first point between said cell synchronization function means and said routing tag adding function means, and a second point between said routing tag deleting function means and said preliminary processing function means, for dropping a cell satisfying a predetermined condition from a cell flow passing through the first and second points.

Claim 3

An ATM communication system including: cell synchronization function means for detecting a header of a cell from an input bit string, and adding a mark to the header of the cell; ATM switch means for performing cell switching processing of the cell; routing tag adding function means for transforming a cell output from said cell synchronization function means, and having a length suitable for transmission into a cell having a length to be able to be subjected to the cell switching processing by said ATM switch means; routing tag deleting function means for transforming the cell having the length to be able to be subjected to the cell switching processing by said ATM switch means into a cell having the length suitable for transmission; preliminary processing function means for performing predetermined processing necessary for a cell synchronization operation performed by said cell synchronization function means for the cell having the length suitable for transmission; and loop back function means arranged between a first point between said cell synchronization function means and said routing tag adding function means, and a second point between said routing tag deleting function means and said preliminary processing function means, and having a first function of dropping a cell satisfying a predetermined condition from a cell flow passing through the first point, and inserting the dropped cell into a cell flow passing through the second point, and a second function of dropping a cell satisfying a predetermined condition from a cell flow passing through the second point, and inserting the dropped cell into a cell flow passing through the first point.

Claim 4

An ATM communication system including: cell processing function means for processing information cells and outputting a flow of cells; and shaping function means for shaping the flow of cells output from said cell processing function means so as to satisfy a preset traffic characteristic, said shaping function means including function means for performing the traffic shaping of the flow of cells independently to a virtual channel and a virtual path constructed by a bundle of virtual channels.

Claim 5

An ATM communication system provided with: ATM switch means having an output section; output buffer means arranged in said output section of said ATM switch means; and a plurality of processing function means for respectively executing cell delay control by only said output buffer means.

Claim 6

An ATM communication system including: ATM switch means having an input section; input buffer means arranged in said input section of said ATM switch means; and a plurality of processing function means for respectively executing cell discharge control by only said input buffer means.

Claim 7

An ATM communication system including: a functional element for informing information which may be generated for every cell period to a control processor for performing operation observation of functional elements constituting said ATM communication system, and herein said functional element comprises FIFO means which can temporarily hold a plurality of pieces of information which may be generated for every cell period, every time the information which may be generated for every cell period is generated, the generated information is enqueued in said FIFO means, and when said FIFO means is not empty, a request is issued to said control processor.

Claim 8

A system according to claim 7, characterized in that if said FIFO means is full when the information which may be generated for every cell period is generated, the information is discarded, and a message indicating that the information is discarded is informed to said control processor.

Claim 9

An ATM communication system including: an ATM switch; and function means for transforming a VPI/VCI or a logical VCI of an input cell into a physical VCI as an identifier for looking up a routing tag table including a routing tag for designating a path in said ATM switch as at least a content of the table.

Claim 10

A system according to claim 9, characterized in that the mapping from the logical VCI to the physical VCI uses an associative memory in which error correction information is added to each entry, and which further includes means for, when an error is found in a corresponding entry on the basis of the error correction information of the entry of the associative memory used in the mapping from a logical VCI to a physical VCI of an input cell, discarding the input cell.

Claim 11

An ATM communication system including: routing tag adding function means having a routing tag table having a plurality of entries each added with error correction information; and means for, when an error is found in a corresponding entry on the basis of the correction information of the entry of the routing tag table corresponding to an input cell, discarding the input cell.

Claim 12

An ATM communication system having cell processing function means comprising function means for generating an alarm cell according to a trouble portion.

Claim 13

A system according to claim 12, characterized in that said cell processing function means includes routing tag adding function means, and when a trouble is found between an input transmission path and said routing tag adding function means, said routing tag adding function means generates the alarm cell.

Claim 14

A system according to claim 12, characterized by further comprising routing tag deleting function means for, when a fault is found in said routing tag adding function means in said cell processing function means, receiving a cell from said cell processing function means via an ATM switch and generating an alarm cell.

Claim 15

A system according to claim 12, characterized in that when a trouble is found in a system opposing a transmission path of said cell processing function means, routing tag adding function means for generating an alarm cell is arranged in cell processing function means for receiving a cell from the opposing system.

Claim 16

A polishing apparatus for an ATM communication system, characterized by comprising: a RAM for holding information for measuring a cell flow of a connection in units of connections; a register group for exchanging information with said RAM; a first sequencer for controlling information transfer between said RAM and said register group; an ALU for receiving information from said register group, and performing four arithmetic operations/bit operations; and a second sequencer for controlling information transfer between said register group and said ALU.

Claim 17

An ATM communication system characterized by comprising: a plurality of path handling systems; and clockwise and counterclockwise ring-like transmission paths for coupling said path handling systems, each of said path handling systems including: a first drop/insert section connected to be inserted in said clockwise ring-like transmission path; a second drop/insert section connected to be inserted in said counterclockwise ring-like transmission path; a first loop back path extending from said first drop/insert section to said second drop/insert section; a second loop back path extending from said second drop/insert section to said first drop/insert section; and a drop/insert path through which cells to be dropped from or to be inserted in the ring-like transmission paths flow.

Claim 18

A system according to claim 17, characterized in that when connections of an active system are set among said path handling systems, connections of a stand-by system are simultaneously set, the connections of the active system are set to go round the ring-like transmission path so that the connections start from a first path handling system as a starting point where an original connection is to be set, and are terminated at the first path handling system via a second path handling system as an end point where the original connection is set to be set, the connections of the stand-by system are set to go round a second ring-like transmission path in a direction opposite to a first ring-like transmission path for accommodating the connections of the active system, and the connections of the active and stand-by systems are set to have the same identifiers at entrances and exits of the loop back path from the drop/insert sections of the respective pass handling systems inserted in the first ring-like transmission path to the drop/insert sections inserted in the second ring-like transmission path.

Claim 19

A system according to claim 17, characterized in that the path handling system as the original end point guides a user cell transferred along the connections of the active system to the drop/insert path, relays only an OAM cell, and sends the OAM cell onto the ring-like transmission path, so that the OAM cell flowing from the path handling system at the starting point where the connection is to be set via the connections goes round the ring-like transmission path once, and is returned to the path handling system at the starting point where the connection is to be set, and a connection check operation is performed by confirming if the OAM cell normally goes round the ring-like transmission path once, and is returned to the path handling system at the starting point.

Claim 20

A system according to claim 17, characterized by said insert/drop section has a function of outputting a cell input from the ring-like transmission path to the drop/insert path while relaying the cell to the ring-like transmission path in addition to three basic functions including drop, insert, and relay functions, thus allowing a l-to-N drop connection of the pass handling systems connected by the ring-like transmission path as a whole.