A MULTI LINK LAYER TO SINGLE PHYSICAL LAYER INTERFACE IN A NODE OF A DATA COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

摘要

IN A NODE OF DATA COMMUNICATION SYSTEM WITH A NUMBER OF NODES, IN WHICH DATA COMMUNICATION SYSTEM ISOCHRONOUS DATA IS EXCHANGED THROUGH A SERIAL DATA BUS STRUCTURE , MULTIPLE LINK LAYER INTERFACE CIRCUITS ARE COUPLED TO A SINGLE PHYSICAL LAYER INTERFACE CIRCUIT . THE PHYSICAL LAYER INTERFACE CIRCUIT HAS AN EXTERNAL PORT THROUGH WHICH THE PHYSICAL LAYER INTERFACE CIRCUIT IS CONNECTED TO THE SERIAL BUS STRUCTURE . THE PHYSICAL LAYER INTERFACE CIRCUIT IS COUPLED TO THE LINK LAYER INTERFACE CIRCUITS THROUGH BI-DIRECTIONAL SWITCHES .A LIGIC CIRCUIT CONTROLS THE BI-DIRECTIONAL SWITHES AND, IN DEPENDENCE OF CONFIGURATION INFORMATION STORED IN CONFIGURATION REGISTERS OF THE LINK INTERFACE CIRCUITS AND ITS OWN PROGRAMMING, THE LOGIC CIRCUIT CONTROLS ROUTING OF ISOCHRONOUS AND ASYNCHRONOUS DATA STREAMS FROM THE LINK INTERFACE CIRCUITS TO THE PHYSICAL LAYER INTERFACE @CIRCUIT , AND FROM THE LINK LAYER INTERFACE CIRCUITS TO THE PHYSICAL LAYER INTERFACE CIRCUIT, AND FROM THE PHYSICAL LAYER INTERFACE CIRCUIT TO THE LINK LAYER INTERFACEC CIRCUITS.