DISTRIBUTION MECHANISM FOR ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN USER INTERFACES OF A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

摘要

The subject distribution mechanism is used in a communication system comprising a plurality of interfaces, (10, 11 and 12) with each interface connected to at least one user and able to receive and transmit information to said user(s) through information carrying means. It allows communications to be established between users selected by a central control unit (7) in a programmable way. The distribution mechanism comprises: in each interface, scheduling means responsive to a common timing signal having a period T, to divide the period into n slot periods having a slot number, n being the number of users connected to that interface to which the maximum number of users are connected, a configuration table (18) comprising n locations, each location assigned to a slot period, the central control unit writing in each location communication control information, said table being addressed by the slot numbers generated by the scheduling means to read and make available, the communication control information, distribution buffer means (20) comprising at least a first and a second part, each part having n addressable locations, addressed by means of addressing means responsive to the communication control information provided by the configuration table during each slot period to cause each interface involved in the to be established communications during that slot period, to write the information to be transmitted in one part of the distribution buffer and the information to be received by the interface to be read from the other part of the distribution buffer at addresses derived from the communication control information and the slot number generated by the scheduling means.