Communication network

Claim 2

A communication network comprising: a plurality of stations connected to communicate with each other via a bus, wherein one of said plurality of stations is a master station and the remaining plurality of stations are a plurality of slave stations; wherein said plurality of stations are provided with ID information for specifying each station on the bus; wherein said master station is adapted to send out a token packet through the bus which includes ID information designating at least one of said plurality of stations as being a transmitter of data and designating at least one of said plurality of stations as being a destination of the data; wherein the token packet is transmitted through the bus without being changed by any of said plurality of slave stations, and is received by each of said plurality of stations; each of said plurality of stations is adapted to: analyze the ID information contained in the token packet received from the bus; send out a data packet through the bus when designated by the ID information as being the transmitter of data; and receive the data packet being sent through the bus when designated by the ID information as being the destination of the data; and wherein the data packet is not provided with the ID information designating at least one of said plurality of stations as being the transmitter of data and designating at least one of said plurality of stations as being the destination of the data.

Claim 3

A communication network as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said master station comprises: a token transfer portion for generating and sending out the token packet on the bus; an analysis executing portion for analyzing the token packet received from the bus, and sending out the data packet when designated by the ID information in the token packet as being the transmitter of data or receiving the data packet when designated by the ID information in the token packet as being the destination of data; and a switch portion of said master station for disconnecting a downstream side of the bus from an upstream side of the bus and then connecting the downstream side of the bus to said token transfer portion and said analysis executing portion, or disconnecting the downstream side of the bus from said token transfer portion and said analysis executing portion and then connecting the downstream side of the bus to the upstream side of the bus; each of said plurality of slave stations comprises: an analysis executing portion for analyzing the token packet received through the bus, and sending out the data packet when designated by the ID information in the token packet as being the transmitter of data or receiving the data packet when designated by the ID information in the token packet as being the destination of data; and a switch portion of said slave station for disconnecting a downstream side of the bus from an upstream side of the bus and then connecting the downstream side of the bus to said analysis executing portion, or disconnecting the downstream side of the bus from said analysis executing portion and then connecting the downstream side of the bus to the upstream side of the bus.

Claim 4

A communication network as claimed in claim 2, wherein: each of said plurality of slave stations comprises a register; said switch portion of said master station disconnects the downstream side of the bus from the upstream side of the bus, and then connects the downstream side of the bus to said token transfer portion and said analysis executing portion at initialization; said switching portion of each of said plurality of slave stations disconnects the downstream side of the bus from the upstream side of the bus, and then connects the downstream side of the bus to said analysis executing portion at initialization; said master station sends out an ID information setting command including dummy ID information from said token transfer portion to each of said plurality slave stations starting with a first one of said plurality of slave stations which is located downstream and closest to said master station; in each of said plurality of slave stations: said analysis executing portion receives and analyzes the ID information setting command when said switch portion disconnects the downstream side of the bus from the upstream side of the bus, and then connects the downstream side of the bus to said analysis executing portion, so that the dummy ID information in the ID information setting command is stored in said register; and said switch portion disconnecting the downstream side of the bus from said analysis executing portion and then connecting the downstream side of the bus to the upstream side of the bus after the dummy ID information is stored in said register; wherein when the ID information setting command, after being sent out from said master stations and being passed downstream to said plurality of slave stations, is not received by said master station, said master station changes the dummy ID information and sequentially sends out the ID information setting command so that such a plurality of changed dummy ID information is stored into said register of each of said plurality of slave stations, respectively.

Claim 5

A communication network as claimed in claim 3, wherein said master station, when said analysis executing portion of said master station receives the ID information setting command sent out from said master station, stops sending out the ID information setting command, and then said plurality of stations perform data communication using the different dummy ID information.

Claim 6

A communication network as claimed in claim 4, wherein: each of said plurality of slave stations retains predetermined actual ID information; said master station collects the actual ID information on each of said plurality of slave stations through the data communication being performed with each of said plurality of slave stations using the dummy ID information, confirms if the actual ID information on each of said plurality of slave stations are overlapping and, if not, writes the actual ID information into said register portion in the respective one of said plurality of slave stations; and each of said plurality of slave stations perform the data communication with the actual ID information or the dummy ID information being stored in said register of each of said plurality of slave stations.

Claim 7

A communication network as claimed in claim 4, wherein said master stations learns a number of said plurality of slave stations which are connected to the bus from a number of ID information setting commands sent out.

Claim 8

A communication network as claimed in claim 2, wherein in said master station: said switch portion disconnects the downstream side of the bus from the upstream side of the bus, and connects the downstream side of the bus to said token transfer portion; said token transfer portion sends out the token packet onto the bus; said analysis executing portion discards the sent token packet after receiving the token packet from the bus; and said switch portion disconnects the downstream side of the bus from said token transfer portion and then connects the downstream side of the bus to the upstream side of the bus after receiving the token packet.

Claim 9

A communication network as claimed in claim 2, wherein in each of said plurality of stations: said switch portion disconnects the downstream side of the bus from the upstream side of the bus, and then connects the downstream side of the bus to said analysis executing portion; said analysis executing portion sends out the data packet to the bus, and discards the data packet after receipt of the data packet from the bus; and said switch portion disconnects the downstream side of the bus from said analysis executing portion, and then connects the downstream side of the bus to the upstream side of the bus after receipt of the data packet from the bus.

Claim 10

A communication network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the token packet comprises a plurality of ID information on at least one of said plurality of stations as a destination of data.

Claim 11

A communication network as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of slave stations further comprise a token transfer portion for generating and sending out the token packet.

Claim 12

A communication network as claimed in claim 1, wherein said master station sends out the token packet according to a transmission request from each of said plurality of stations.

Claim 13

A communication network as claimed in claim 1, wherein said master station sends out the token packet at constant time intervals.

Claim 14

A communication network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one plurality of stations, as a transmitter of data, sends out a plurality of data including each different characteristics, and said master station sends out the token packet further to comprise an identifier set to specify each type of data.

Claim 15

A communication network as claimed in claim 11, wherein said master station sets an actual transmission frequency of the token packet larger than a transmission frequency determined on a basis of a transmission bandwidth request.

Claim 16

A communication network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data to be sent out comprises Isochronous data required to be isochronous and Asynchronous data not required to be isochronous, and wherein in said master station: the token packet is provided with an identifier to specify the Isochronous data or the Asynchronous data, is sent out from said master station as a transmitter, and is sent out at constant time intervals; and a unit of token packet frame comprises a predetermined number of the token packets to be sent out, and is repeatedly sent out.

Claim 17

A communication network as claimed in claim 15, wherein said master station further comprises a first token management table to which the ID information on each of the plurality of stations can be written; and said master station sequentially sends out the token packet according to the ID information of each of the plurality of stations written into said first token management table when sending out the token packet within the token packet frame to perform Isochronous data communication.

Claim 18

A communication network as claimed in claim 16, wherein said master station further comprises a second token management table to which the ID information on each of said plurality of stations can be written; and said master station sequentially sends out the token packet according to the ID information of each of said plurality of stations written into said second token management table when sending out the token packet within the token packet frame to perform Asynchronous data communication.

Claim 19

A communication network as claimed in claim 17, wherein said master station dynamically rewrites the ID information on each of said plurality of stations included in said first token management table and the ID information on each of said plurality of stations included in said second token management table.

Claim 20

A communication network as claimed in claim 18, wherein said master station: obtains and analyses, through the Asynchronous data communication, information relevant to bandwidth used for the Isochronous data communication requested by each of said plurality of stations; writes the ID information into said first token management table for each of said plurality of stations in order to reserve the bandwidth for the Isochronous data communication; and deletes the ID information from said first token management table for each of said plurality of stations in order to release the bandwidth for the Isochronous data communication.

Claim 21

A communication network as claimed in claim 19, wherein said first token management table and said second token management table are respectively provided with identification information to correspond to each other, and the identification information is allowed to be written thereto; said master station: writes the ID information on the station and the identification information into said first token management table in order to reserve the bandwidth requested by each of said plurality of stations for the Isochronous data communication, and writes the same identification information into said second token management table corresponding to the Asynchronous data communication having been requested for the bandwidth for the Isochronous data communication; and deletes the ID information on the station from said first token management table in order to release the bandwidth requested by each of said plurality of stations for the Isochronous data communication according to the identification information being included in said second token management table corresponding to the Asynchronous data communication having been requested to release the bandwidth for the Isochronous data communication.

Claim 22

A communication network as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of stations sends out a destination status packet in between the token packet and the data packet when designated as a destination of the data, wherein the destination status packet indicates if the data packet sent out from at least one of said plurality of stations designated as being a transmitter can be received.

Claim 23

A communication network as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said master station further comprises a clock oscillator for generating a clock having a prescribed frequency; each of said plurality of stations further comprise a PLL portion; and the token packet is provided with synchronization information for enabling the clock having the prescribed frequency to be recovered in said PLL portion on each of said plurality of stations side.

Claim 24

A communication network as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of stations adds a packet recognizing bit to the token packet or the data packet, wherein the packet recognizing bit enables receiving timing in the token packet or the data packet to be recovered on a destination side of the token packet or the data packet.

Claim 25

A communication network as claimed in claim 23, wherein each of said plurality of stations recovers the receiving timing in the token packet or the data packet according to the packet recognizing bit provided to the token packet or the data packet.

Claim 26

A communication network as claimed in claim 23, wherein each of said plurality of stations comprise: a transmitted packet assembling circuit for assembling the token packet or the data packet; a packet recognizing bit adding circuit for adding the packet recognizing bit to the token packet or the data packet assembled by said transmitted packet assembling circuit; a switch portion for disconnecting a downstream side of the bus from an upstream side of the bus, and then connecting the downstream side of the bus to said packet recognizing bit adding circuit, or disconnecting the downstream side of the bus from said packet recognizing bit adding circuit, and then connecting the downstream side of the bus to the upstream side of the bus; and a transmission control circuit for controlling said transmitted packet assembling circuit, said packet recognizing bit adding circuit, and said switch portion; said transmission control circuit controls said switch portion to connect said packet recognizing bit adding circuit and the bus to each other only when sending out the token packet or the data packet to the bus, whereby the token packet having the packet recognizing bit or the data packet having the packet recognizing bit is sent out to the bus.

Claim 27

A communication network as claimed in claim 24, wherein each of said plurality of stations comprises: a packet recognizing bit identifying circuit for identifying the packet recognizing bit added to the token packet or the data packet inputted from an upstream side of the bus, and then recovering receiving timing in the token packet or the data packet; a packet disassembling circuit for receiving the token packet or the data packet inputted from the upstream side of the bus according to the receiving timing recovered by said packet recognizing bit identifying circuit; a switch portion for disconnecting the downstream side of the bus from the upstream side of the bus, or connecting the downstream side of the bus to the upstream side of the bus; and a reception control circuit for controlling said packet recognizing bit identifying circuit, said packet disassembling circuit, and said switch portion, wherein said reception control circuit controls said switch portion to connect the downstream side of the bus to the upstream side of the bus to pass the token packets or the data packets from the upstream side of the bus to the downstream side of the bus except when transmitting the token packet or the data packet from the station.

Claim 28

A communication network as claimed in claim 21, wherein: said master station comprises: a token transfer portion for generating and sending out the token packet on the bus; an analysis executing portion for analyzing a token packet received through the bus, and sending out a data packet when designated by the ID information in the token packet as being a transmitter of data or sending out the destination status packet and then receiving a data packet when designated by the ID information in the token packet as being a destination of data; and a switch portion of said master station for disconnecting a downstream side of the bus from an upstream side of the bus and then connecting the downstream side of the bus to said token transfer portion and said analysis executing portion, or disconnecting the downstream side of the bus from said token transfer portion and said analysis executing portion and then connecting the downstream side of the bus to the upstream side of the bus; and each of said plurality of slave stations comprises: an analysis executing portion for analyzing a token packet received through the bus, and sending out a data packet when designated by the ID information in the token packet as being the transmitter of data, or sending out the destination status packet and then receiving a data packet when designated by the ID information in the token packet as being the destination of data; and a switch portion of said slave station for disconnecting a downstream side of the bus from an upstream side of the bus and then connecting the downstream side of the bus to said analysis executing portion, or disconnecting the downstream side of the bus from said analysis executing portion and then connecting the downstream side of the bus to the upstream side of the bus.

Claim 29

A communication network as claimed in claim 27, wherein in each of said plurality of stations: said switch portion disconnects the downstream side of the bus from the upstream side of the bus and then connects the downstream side of the bus to said analysis executing portion; said analysis executing portion sends out the destination status packet to the bus, and discards the destination status packet after receiving the destination status packet from the bus; and said switch portion disconnects the downstream side of the bus from said analysis executing portion and then connects the downstream side of the bus to the upstream side of the bus after receiving the destination status packet.

Claim 30

A communication network as claimed in claim 21, wherein each of said plurality of stations adds a packet recognizing bit to the token packet, the data packet, or the destination status packet, wherein the packet recognizing bit enables receiving timing in the token packet, the data packet, or the destination status packet to be recovered on a destination station side of the token packet, the data packet, or the destination status packet.

Claim 31

A communication network as claimed in claim 29, wherein each of said plurality of stations recovers the receiving timing in the token packet, the data packet, or the destination status packet according to the packet recognizing bit in the token packet, the data packet, or the destination status packet.

Claim 32

A communication network as claimed in claim 29, wherein each of said plurality of stations comprises: a transmitted packet assembling circuit for assembling the token packet, the data packet, or the destination status packet; a packet recognizing bit adding circuit for adding the packet recognizing bit to the token packet, the data packet, or the destination status packet assembled by said transmitted packet assembling circuit; a switch portion for disconnecting a downstream side of the bus from an upstream side of the bus, and then connecting the downstream side of the bus to said packet recognizing bit adding circuit, or disconnecting the downstream side of the bus from said packet recognizing bit adding circuit, and then connecting the downstream side of the bus to the upstream side of the bus; and a transmission control circuit for controlling said transmitted packet assembling circuit, said packet recognizing bit adding circuit, and said switch portion; said transmission control circuit controls said switch portion to connect said packet recognizing bit adding circuit and the bus to each other only when sending out the token packet, the data packet, or the destination status packet to the bus, whereby the token packet, the data packet, or the destination status packet to which the packet recognizing bit is added is sent out to the bus.

Claim 33

A communication network as claimed in claim 30, wherein each of said plurality of stations comprises: a packet recognizing bit identifying circuit for identifying the packet recognizing bit added to the token packet, the data packet, or the destination status packet inputted from an upstream side of the bus, and then recovering receiving timing in the token packet, the data packet, or the destination status packet; a packet disassembling circuit for receiving the token packet, the data packet, or the destination status packet inputted from the upstream side of the bus according to the receiving timing recovered by said packet recognizing bit identifying circuit; a switch portion for disconnecting a downstream side of the bus from the upstream side of the bus, or connecting the downstream side of the bus to the upstream side of the bus; and a reception control circuit for controlling said packet recognizing bit identifying circuit, said packet disassembling circuit, and said switch portion, wherein said reception control circuit controls said switch portion to connect the downstream side of the bus to the upstream side of the bus except when transmitting the token packet, the data packet, or the destination status packet from the station, to pass the token packet, the data packet, or the destination status packet from the upstream side of the bus to the downstream side of the bus at the station.