Control system for switching duplicated switch units in ATM exchange

Claim 2

A control system for switching between a first system and a second system of a duplicated structure in an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) exchange, one of the first and second systems operating as an active system, and the other one of the first and second systems operating as a standby system, said control system comprising: generator means for writing specific bits into ATM cells received via an input transmission line, the specific bits respectively written into ATM cells to be transferred via the active system indicating a first state, said specific bits respectively written into the ATM cells to be transferred via the standby system indicating a second state; first table means, provided in the first system, for storing the specific bits respectively assigned to VPI/VCI pairs related to the ATM cells transferred via the first system; second table means, provided in the second system, for storing the specific bits respectively assigned to VPI/VCI pairs related to the ATM cells transferred via the second system; and selecting means, coupled to said generator means and said first and second table means, for comparing the specific bits written into the ATM cells with the specific bits stored in the first and second table means by using the VPI/VCI pairs of the ATM cells and for outputting only ATM cells respectively having specific bits respectively indicating the first state to an output transmission line.

Claim 3

The control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said selecting means comprises: first buffer means for storing the ATM cells transferred via the first system; second buffer means for storing the ATM cells transferred via the second system; first write control means for comparing the specific bit of a first one of the ATM cells transferred via the first system with the specific bit stored in said first table means and related to the VPI/VCI pair of said first one of the ATM cells and for writing said first one of the ATM cells into said first buffer means when both the specific bit of said first one of the ATM cells and the specific bit stored in said first table means indicate the first state; and second write control means for comparing the specific bit of a second one of the ATM cells transferred via the second system with the specific bits stored in said second table means and related to the VPI/VCI pair of said second one of the ATM cells and for writing said second one of the ATM cells into said second buffer means when both the specific bit of said second one of the ATM cells and the specific bit stored in said second table means indicate the first state.

Claim 4

The control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said selecting means comprises: first monitor means for changing one of the specific bits stored in said first table means from the first state to the second state or vice versa when one of the specific bits related to one of the ATM cells transferred via the first system does not coincide with said one of the specific bits stored in said first table means; and second monitor means for changing one of the specific bits stored in said second table means from the second state to the first state or vice versa when one of the specific bits related to one of the ATM cells transferred via the second system does not coincide with said one of the specific bits stored in said second table means.

Claim 5

The control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein: said first write control means prevents said first one of the ATM cells from being written into said first buffer means when both the specific bit of said first one of the ATM cells and the specific bit stored in said first table means and related to the VPI/VCI pair of said first one of the ATM cells indicate the second state; and said second write control means prevents said second one of the ATM cells from being written into said second buffer means when both the specific bit of said second one of the ATM cells and the specific bit stored in said second table means and related to the VPI/VCI pair of said second one of the ATM cells indicate the second state.

Claim 6

The control system as claimed in claim 3, wherein: said first write control means prevents said first one of the ATM cells from being written into said first buffer means when both the specific bit of said first one of the ATM cells and the specific bit stored in said first table means and related to the VPI/VCI pair of said first one of the ATM cells indicate the second state; and said second write control means prevents said second one of the ATM cells from being written into said second buffer means when both the specific bit of said second one of the ATM cells and the specific bit stored in said second table means and related to the VPI/VCI pair of said second one of the ATM cells indicate the second state.

Claim 7

The control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said generator means comprises means for writing the specific bit indicating the first state into each of the ATM cells to be transferred via the first system and for writing the specific bit indicating the second state into each of the ATM cells to be transferred via the second system in a case where the first and second systems operate as the active and standby systems, respectively, and for starting to write the specific bit indicating the first state into each of the ATM cells to be transferred via the second system and for starting to write the specific bit indicating the second state into each of the ATM cells to be transferred via the first system when switching between the active system and the standby system is carried out.

Claim 8

The control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said selecting means further comprises: first switch means for carrying out a first switching operation an the ATM cells transferred via the first system; second switch means for carrying out a second switching operation on the ATM cells transferred via the second system, and wherein said generator means comprises means for writing specific bits into respective routing information fields of ATM cells received via the input transmission line, said respective routing information fields comprising routing information concerning the first and second switching operations.

Claim 9

A control system for switching between a first system and a second system of a duplicated structure in an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) exchange, one of the first and second systems operating as an active system, and the other one of the first and second systems operating as a standby system, said control system comprising: generator means for writing specific bits having a first state into ATM cells received via an input transmission line in a first case where no switching is indicated and for writing specific bits having a second state into first ATM cells related to respective VPI/VCI pairs obtained after switching; first table means, provided in the first system, for storing the specific bits respectively assigned to VPI/VCI pairs related to the ATM cells transferred via the first system, the specific bits stored in the first table means respectively indicating the second state when the first system operates as the active system; second table means, provided in the second system, for storing the specific bits respectively assigned to VPI/VCI pairs related to the ATM cells transferred via the second system, the specific bits stored in the second table means respectively indicating the first state when the second system operates as the standby system; and selecting means, coupled to said generator means and said first and second table means, for selecting ATM cells transferred via the first system when the first system operates as the active system and for selecting ATM cells transferred via the second system which was previously the standby system but has become the active system because of the switching after changing one of the specific bits stored in said second table means and related to the VPI/VCI pair of one of said first ATM cells from the first state to the second state each time said one of said first ATM cells is received.

Claim 10

A control system for switching between a first system and a second system of a duplicated structure in an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) exchange, one of the first and second systems operating as an active system, and the other one of the first and second systems operating as a standby system, said control system comprising: generator means for writing specific bits having a first state into ATM cells received via an input transmission line in a first case where no switching is indicated and for writing specific bits having a second state into first ATM cells related to respective VPI/VCI pairs obtained after switching; first table means, provided in the first system, for storing the specific bits respectively assigned to VPI/VCI pairs related to the ATM cells transferred via the first system, the specific bits stored in the first table means respectively indicating the second state when the first system operates as the active system; second table means, provided in the second system, for storing the specific bits respectively assigned to VPI/VCI pairs related to the ATM cells transferred via the second system, the specific bits stored in the second table means respectively indicating the first state when the second system operates as the standby system; and selecting means, coupled to said generator means and said first and second table means, for selecting ATM cells transferred via the first system when the first system operates as the active system and for selecting ATM cells transferred via the second system which was previously the standby system but has become the active system because of the switching after changing one of the specific bits stored in said second table means and related to the VPI/VCI pair of one of said first ATM cells from the first state to the second state each time said one of said first ATM cells is received.

Claim 11

The control system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said selecting means comprises: first buffer means for storing the ATM cells transferred via the first system; second buffer means for storing the ATM cells transferred via the second system; first write control means for writing ATM cells transferred via the first system into the first buffer means when the first system operates as the active system and for changing the specific bits stored in said first table means and related to the VPI/VCI pairs of said first ATM cells since the switching from the second state to the first state when the specific bits of said first ATM cells are detected; and second write control means for writing ATM cells transferred via the second system into the second buffer means when the second system operates as the active system and for changing the specific bits stored in said second table means and related to the VPI/VCI pairs of said first ATM cells since the switching from the second state to the first state when the specific bits of said first ATM cells are detected.

Claim 12

The control system as claimed in claim 9, wherein: said first write control means comprises means for preventing the ATM cells transferred via the first system from being written into the first buffer means when the specific bits stored in said first table means respectively indicate the first state; and said second write control means comprises means for preventing the ATM cells transferred via the second system from being written into the second buffer means when the specific bits stored in said second table means respectively indicate the second state.