DIGITAL CROSS CONNECT AND ADD/DROP MULTIPLEXING DEVICE FOR SDH OR SONET SIGNALS

摘要

In a communication network for transferring signals, e.g. according to the SONET or SDH standards, interconnecting node devices are provided consisting of parallel processing modules (9-T, 9-R). A plurality of processing modules with first and second interfaces rearrange/insert/extract tributary signals and configurable multiplexing/demultiplexing means enable each processing module to access any portion of an arbitrarily preselected tributary signal. In a SONET/SDH system, signals between SONET/SDH frames are rearranged on incoming (20) and outgoing (26) main lines = Digital Cross-Connect, or tributary signals are transferred between frames and local lines (16-i-T, 16-i-R) = Add/Drop Function. The invention provides configurable multiplexing/demultiplexing means (22-i, 24-i, 28-i, 30-i) which allow the processing modules to have access to any tributary signals in said frames, thus enabling digital cross-connect and add/drop operations without completely demultiplexing or disassembling frames. In a preferred embodiment, the configurable multiplexing/demultiplexing means includes a pipeline arrangement (22-i, 24-i) connected to all processing modules (9-T, 9-R).