Interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection

Claim 2

An interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection which includes a reception interface section provided at a position where an apparatus of the SDH system and an apparatus of the SONET system face each other and adapted to receive a signal from an apparatus of a different system, said interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection comprising: a frame synchronization information detecting unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to detect frame synchronization information from a reception signal; an overhead information detecting unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to detect overhead information from the reception signal; a judging unit for judging the kind of an apparatus of a counterpart system based on the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit and the overhead information detected by said overhead information detecting unit; an alarm processing unit for generating an alarm or cancelling the alarm based on a result of the judgment performed within said judging unit; and a format conversion processing unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to cause the reception signal to undergo format conversion processing corresponding to a desired mode.

Claim 3

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 1, wherein in a high speed mode equal to or higher than STM-64/STS-192, said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing difference in the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit.

Claim 4

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 1, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing difference in the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit or difference in the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 5

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 1, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing both difference in the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit and difference in the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 6

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 1, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit puts the order of priority on the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit, the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit, and the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit, and judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing information having a high priority.

Claim 7

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 1, wherein said frame synchronization information detecting unit detects only common information among different frame synchronization information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system from the overhead information detected by said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 8

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 1, wherein said format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the reception signal in accordance with the mode set by a mode setting unit which sets a mode suitable for the apparatus of the counterpart system.

Claim 9

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 1, wherein said format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the reception signal in accordance with the mode judged by said judging unit.

Claim 10

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 1, wherein said format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the reception signal by rewriting SS bit information or undefined byte information.

Claim 11

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 1, wherein said format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the reception signal by rewriting both SS bit information and undefined byte information.

Claim 12

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 1, wherein said alarm processing unit comprises: an SDH alarm detecting condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm detecting condition for the apparatus of the SDH system from the reception signal; a SONET alarm detecting condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm detecting condition for the apparatus of the SONET system from the reception signal; an SDH alarm cancelling condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm cancelling condition for the apparatus of the SDH system from the reception signal; a SONET alarm cancelling condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm cancelling condition for the apparatus of the SONET system from the reception signal; an alarm detecting/cancelling condition control unit for outputting the SDH alarm detecting condition and the SDH alarm cancelling condition extracted by said SDH alarm detecting condition extracting unit and said SDH alarm cancelling condition extracting unit when the result of the judgment received from said judging unit indicates that the mode is SDH, and for outputting the SONET alarm detecting condition and the SONET alarm cancelling condition extracted by said SONET alarm detecting condition extracting unit and said SONET alarm cancelling condition extracting unit when the result of the judgment received from said judging unit indicates that the mode is SONET; and an alarm detecting/cancelling unit for receiving the outputs from said alarm detecting/cancelling condition control unit and for outputting an alarm result.

Claim 13

An interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection which includes a transmission interface section provided at a position where an apparatus of the SDH system and an apparatus of the SONET system face each other and adapted to transmit a signal toward an apparatus of a different system, and a reception interface section provided at a position where the apparatus of the SDH system and the apparatus of the SONET system face each other and adapted to receive a signal from the apparatus of the different system, said interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection comprising; a mode setting unit for setting a mode suitable for an apparatus of a counterpart system; a frame synchronization information inserting unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to insert frame synchronization information corresponding to the mode set by said mode setting unit; an overhead information inserting unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to insert overhead information corresponding to the mode set by said mode setting unit; a frame synchronization information detecting unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to detect frame synchronization information from a reception signal; an overhead information detecting unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to detect overhead information from the reception signal; a judging unit for judging the kind of an apparatus of a counterpart system based on the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit and the overhead information detected by said overhead information detecting unit; an alarm processing unit for generating an alarm or cancelling the alarm based on a result of the judgment performed within said judging unit; and a format conversion processing unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to cause the reception signal to undergo format conversion processing corresponding to a desired mode.

Claim 14

An interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection which includes a transmission interface section provided at a position where an apparatus of the SDH system and an apparatus of the SONET system face each other and adapted to transmit a signal toward an apparatus of a different system, and a reception interface section provided at a position where the apparatus of the SDH system and the apparatus of the SONET system face each other and adapted to receive a signal from the apparatus of the different system, said interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection comprising; a mode setting unit for setting a mode suitable for an apparatus of a counterpart system; a frame synchronization information inserting unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to insert frame synchronization information corresponding to the mode set by said mode setting unit; an overhead information inserting unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to insert overhead information corresponding to the mode set by said mode setting unit; a frame synchronization information detecting unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to detect frame synchronization information from a reception signal; an overhead information detecting unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to detect overhead information from the reception signal; a judging unit for judging the kind of an apparatus of a counterpart system based on the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit and the overhead information detected by said overhead information detecting unit; an alarm processing unit for generating an alarm or cancelling the alarm based on a result of the judgment performed within said judging unit; and a format conversion processing unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to cause the reception signal to undergo format conversion processing corresponding to a desired mode.

Claim 15

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 12, wherein in a high speed mode equal to or higher than STM-64/STS-192, said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing difference in the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit.

Claim 16

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 12, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing difference in the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit or difference in the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 17

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 12, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing both difference in the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit and difference in the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 18

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 12, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit puts the order of priority on the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit, the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit, and the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit, and judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing information having a high priority.

Claim 19

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 12, wherein said frame synchronization information detecting unit detects only common information among different frame synchronization information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system from the overhead information detected by said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 20

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 12, wherein said format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the reception signal in accordance with the mode set by said mode setting unit.

Claim 21

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 12, wherein said format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the reception signal in accordance with the mode judged by said judging unit.

Claim 22

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 12, wherein said format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the reception signal by rewriting SS bit information or undefined byte information.

Claim 23

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 12, wherein said format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the reception signal by rewriting both SS bit information and undefined byte information.

Claim 24

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 12, wherein said alarm processing unit comprises: an SDH alarm detecting condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm detecting condition for the apparatus of the SDH system from the reception signal; a SONET alarm detecting condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm detecting condition for the apparatus of the SONET system from the reception signal; an SDH alarm cancelling condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm cancelling condition for the apparatus of the SDH system from the reception signal; a SONET alarm cancelling condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm cancelling condition for the apparatus of the SONET system from the reception signal; an alarm detecting/cancelling condition control unit for outputting the SDH alarm detecting condition and the SDH alarm cancelling condition extracted by said SDH alarm detecting condition extracting unit and said SDH alarm cancelling condition extracting unit when the result of the judgment received from said judging unit indicates that the mode is SDH, and for outputting the SONET alarm detecting condition and the SONET alarm cancelling condition extracted by said SONET alarm detecting condition extracting unit and said SONET alarm cancelling condition extracting unit when the result of the judgment received from said judging unit indicates that the mode is SONET; and an alarm detecting/cancelling unit for receiving the outputs from said alarm detecting/cancelling condition control unit and for outputting an alarm result.

Claim 25

An interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection which includes a transmission interface section provided at a position where an apparatus of the SDH system and an apparatus of the SONET system face each other and adapted to transmit a signal toward an apparatus of a different system, said interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection comprising: a frame synchronization information detecting unit for detecting frame synchronization information from a reception signal; an overhead information detecting unit for detecting overhead information from the reception signal; a judging unit for judging the kind of an apparatus of a counterpart system based on the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit and the overhead information detected by said overhead information detecting unit; a format conversion processing unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to cause the transmission signal to undergo format conversion processing corresponding to the mode judged by said judging unit; a frame synchronization information inserting unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to insert frame synchronization information corresponding to the mode judged by said judging unit; and an overhead information inserting unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to insert overhead information corresponding to the mode judged by said judging unit.

Claim 26

An interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection which includes a transmission interface section provided at a position where an apparatus of the SDH system and an apparatus of the SONET system face each other and adapted to transmit a signal toward an apparatus of a different system, said interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection comprising: a frame synchronization information detecting unit for detecting frame synchronization information from a reception signal; an overhead information detecting unit for detecting overhead information from the reception signal; a judging unit for judging the kind of an apparatus of a counterpart system based on the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit and the overhead information detected by said overhead information detecting unit; a format conversion processing unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to cause the transmission signal to undergo format conversion processing corresponding to the mode judged by said judging unit; a frame synchronization information inserting unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to insert frame synchronization information corresponding to the mode judged by said judging unit; and an overhead information inserting unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to insert overhead information corresponding to the mode judged by said judging unit.

Claim 27

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 23, wherein in a high speed mode equal to or higher than STM-64/STS-192, said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing difference in the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit.

Claim 28

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 23, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing difference in the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit or difference in the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 29

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 23, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing both difference in the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit and difference in the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 30

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 23, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit puts the order of priority on the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit, the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit, and the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit, and judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing information having a high priority.

Claim 31

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 23, wherein said frame synchronization information detecting unit detects only common information among different frame synchronization information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system from the overhead information detected by said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 32

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 23, wherein said format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the reception signal by rewriting SS bit information or undefined byte information based on the result of judgment in said judging unit.

Claim 33

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 23, wherein said format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the reception signal by rewriting both SS bit information and undefined byte information based on the result of judgment in said judging unit.

Claim 34

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 23, wherein said alarm processing unit comprises: an SDH alarm detecting condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm detecting condition for the apparatus of the SDH system from the reception signal; a SONET alarm detecting condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm detecting condition for the apparatus of the SONET system from the reception signal; an SDH alarm cancelling condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm cancelling condition for the apparatus of the SDH system from the reception signal; a SONET alarm cancelling condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm cancelling condition for the apparatus of the SONET system from the reception signal; an alarm detecting/cancelling condition control unit for outputting the SDH alarm detecting condition and the SDH alarm cancelling condition extracted by said SDH alarm detecting condition extracting unit and said SDH alarm cancelling condition extracting unit when the result of the judgment received from said judging unit indicates that the mode is SDH, and for outputting the SONET alarm detecting condition and the SONET alarm cancelling condition extracted by said SONET alarm detecting condition extracting unit and said SONET alarm cancelling condition extracting unit when the result of the judgment received from said judging unit indicates that the mode is SONET; and an alarm detecting/cancelling unit for receiving the outputs from said alarm detecting/cancelling condition control unit and for outputting an alarm result.

Claim 35

An interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection which includes a reception interface section provided at a position where an apparatus of the SDH system and an apparatus of the SONET system face each other and adapted to receive a signal from an apparatus of a different system, said interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection comprising: a frame synchronization information detecting unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to detect frame synchronization information from a reception signal; an overhead information detecting unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to detect overhead information from the reception signal; a judging unit for judging the kind of an apparatus of a counterpart system based on the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit and the overhead information detected by said overhead information detecting unit; an alarm processing unit for generating an alarm or cancelling the alarm based on a result of the judgment performed within said judging unit; and a format conversion processing unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to cause the reception signal to undergo format conversion processing corresponding to a mode judged by said judging unit.

Claim 36

An interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection which includes a reception interface section provided at a position where an apparatus of the SDH system and an apparatus of the SONET system face each other and adapted to receive a signal from an apparatus of a different system, said interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection comprising: a frame synchronization information detecting unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to detect frame synchronization information from a reception signal; an overhead information detecting unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to detect overhead information from the reception signal; a judging unit for judging the kind of an apparatus of a counterpart system based on the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit and the overhead information detected by said overhead information detecting unit; an alarm processing unit for generating an alarm or cancelling the alarm based on a result of the judgment performed within said judging unit; and a format conversion processing unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to cause the reception signal to undergo format conversion processing corresponding to a mode judged by said judging unit.

Claim 37

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 32, wherein in a high speed mode equal to or higher than STM-64/STS-192, said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing difference in the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit.

Claim 38

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 32, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing difference in the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit or difference in the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 39

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 32, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing both difference in the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit and difference in the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 40

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 32, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit puts the order of priority on the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit, the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit, and the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit, and judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing information having a high priority.

Claim 41

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 32, wherein said frame synchronization information detecting unit detects only common information among different frame synchronization information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system from the overhead information detected by said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 42

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 32, wherein said format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the reception signal by rewriting SS bit information or undefined byte information based on the result of judgment in said judging unit.

Claim 43

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 32, wherein said format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the reception signal by rewriting both SS bit information and undefined byte information based on the result of judgment in said judging unit.

Claim 44

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 32, wherein said alarm processing unit comprises: an SDH alarm detecting condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm detecting condition for the apparatus of the SDH system from the reception signal; a SONET alarm detecting condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm detecting condition for the apparatus of the SONET system from the reception signal; an SDH alarm cancelling condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm cancelling condition for the apparatus of the SDH system from the reception signal; a SONET alarm cancelling condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm cancelling condition for the apparatus of the SONET system from the reception signal; an alarm detecting/cancelling condition control unit for outputting the SDH alarm detecting condition and the SDH alarm cancelling condition extracted by said SDH alarm detecting condition extracting unit and said SDH alarm cancelling condition extracting unit when the result of the judgment received from said judging unit indicates that the mode is SDH, and for outputting the SONET alarm detecting condition and the SONET alarm cancelling condition extracted by said SONET alarm detecting condition extracting unit and said SONET alarm cancelling condition extracting unit when the result of the judgment received from said judging unit indicates that the mode is SONET; and an alarm detecting/cancelling unit for receiving the outputs from said alarm detecting/cancelling condition control unit and for outputting an alarm result.

Claim 45

An interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection which includes a transmission interface section provided at a position where an apparatus of the SDH system and an apparatus of the SONET system face each other and adapted to transmit a signal toward an apparatus of a different system, and a reception interface section provided at a position where the apparatus of the SDH system and the apparatus of the SONET system face each other and adapted to receive a signal from the apparatus of the different system, said interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection comprising: a frame synchronization information detecting unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to detect frame synchronization information from a reception signal; an overhead information detecting unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to detect overhead information from the reception signal; a judging unit for judging the kind of an apparatus of a counterpart system based on the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit and the overhead information detected by said overhead information detecting unit; an alarm processing unit for generating an alarm or cancelling the alarm based on a result of the judgment performed within said judging unit; a first format conversion processing unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to cause the reception signal to undergo format conversion processing corresponding to a mode judged by said judging unit; a second format conversion processing unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to cause the transmission signal to undergo format conversion processing corresponding to the mode judged by said judging unit; a frame synchronization information inserting unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to insert frame synchronization information corresponding to the mode judged by said judging unit; and an overhead information inserting unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to insert overhead information corresponding to the mode judged by said judging unit.

Claim 46

An interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection which includes a transmission interface section provided at a position where an apparatus of the SDH system and an apparatus of the SONET system face each other and adapted to transmit a signal toward an apparatus of a different system, and a reception interface section provided at a position where the apparatus of the SDH system and the apparatus of the SONET system face each other and adapted to receive a signal from the apparatus of the different system, said interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection comprising: a frame synchronization information detecting unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to detect frame synchronization information from a reception signal; an overhead information detecting unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to detect overhead information from the reception signal; a judging unit for judging the kind of an apparatus of a counterpart system based on the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit and the overhead information detected by said overhead information detecting unit; an alarm processing unit for generating an alarm or cancelling the alarm based on a result of the judgment performed within said judging unit; a first format conversion processing unit provided in said reception interface section and adapted to cause the reception signal to undergo format conversion processing corresponding to a mode judged by said judging unit; a second format conversion processing unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to cause the transmission signal to undergo format conversion processing corresponding to the mode judged by said judging unit; a frame synchronization information inserting unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to insert frame synchronization information corresponding to the mode judged by said judging unit; and an overhead information inserting unit provided in said transmission interface section and adapted to insert overhead information corresponding to the mode judged by said judging unit.

Claim 47

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 41, wherein in a high speed mode equal to or higher than STM-64/STS-192, said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing difference in the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit.

Claim 48

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 41, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing difference in the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit or difference in the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 49

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 41, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing both difference in the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit and difference in the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 50

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 41, wherein said overhead information detecting unit comprises an SS bit detecting unit for detecting SS bit information and an undefined byte detecting unit for detecting undefined byte information, and said judging unit puts the order of priority on the frame synchronization information detected by said frame synchronization information detecting unit, the SS bit information detected by said SS bit detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit, and the undefined byte information detected by said undefined byte detecting unit of said overhead information detecting unit, and judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system utilizing information having a high priority.

Claim 51

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 41, wherein said frame synchronization information detecting unit detects only common information among different frame synchronization information, and said judging unit judges the kind of the apparatus of the counterpart system from the overhead information detected by said overhead information detecting unit.

Claim 52

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 41, wherein said first format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the reception signal by rewriting SS bit information or undefined byte information based on the result of judgment in said judging unit, and said second format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the transmission signal by rewriting SS bit information or undefined byte information based on the result of judgment in said judging unit.

Claim 53

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 41, wherein said first format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the reception signal by rewriting SS bit information and undefined byte information based on the result of judgment in said judging unit, and said second format conversion processing unit performs format conversion processing for the transmission signal by rewriting SS bit information and undefined byte information based on the result of judgment in said judging unit.

Claim 54

The interface apparatus for SDH/SONET interconnection according to claim 41, wherein said alarm processing unit comprises: an SDH alarm detecting condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm detecting condition for the apparatus of the SDH system from the reception signal; a SONET alarm detecting condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm detecting condition for the apparatus of the SONET system from the reception signal; an SDH alarm cancelling condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm cancelling condition for the apparatus of the SDH system from the reception signal; a SONET alarm cancelling condition extracting unit for extracting an alarm cancelling condition for the apparatus of the SONET system from the reception signal; an alarm detecting/cancelling condition control unit for outputting the SDH alarm detecting condition and the SDH alarm cancelling condition extracted by said SDH alarm detecting condition extracting unit and said SDH alarm cancelling condition extracting unit when the result of the judgment received from said judging unit indicates that the mode is SDH, and for outputting the SONET alarm detecting condition and the SONET alarm cancelling condition extracted by said SONET alarm detecting condition extracting unit and said SONET alarm cancelling condition extracting unit when the result of the judgment received from said judging unit indicates that the mode is SONET; and an alarm detecting/cancelling unit for receiving the outputs from said alarm detecting/cancelling condition control unit and for outputting an alarm result.