OAM cell transmission method and system

Claim 3

The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the step (a), the N subperiods are determined by a counter which is incremented by one according to a first clock and is reset according to a second clock, the first clock having a first period obtained by dividing the predetermined time period by N, and the second clock having a second period of the predetermined time period.

Claim 4

The method according to claim 2, wherein, in the step (b), the single subperiod is sequentially selected from the N subperiods according to a count value of the counter.

Claim 5

The method according to claim 1, wherein the step (e) comprises; storing an insertion request flag indicating that the OAM information block for a single path of the N paths corresponding to the single subperiod selected is requested to be inserted into the information block stream when the insertion request flag is set and that the OAM information block is not requested to be inserted into the information block stream when the insertion request flag is reset; inserting the OAM information block into the time period of the first idle information block when the first idle information block is detected and the insertion request flag is set; and resetting the insertion request flag when the first idle information block is detected.

Claim 6

The method according to claim 4, wherein the insertion request flag is stored into a register which is reset when the first idle information block is detected.

Claim 7

The method according to claim 4, wherein the insertion request flag indicates that the OAM information block for each path of the N paths is requested to be inserted into the information block stream.

Claim 10

The method according to claim 7, wherein, in the step (a), the N subperiods are determined by a counter which is incremented by one according to a first clock and is reset according to a second clock, the first clock having a first period obtained by dividing the predetermined time period by N, and the second clock having a second period of the predetermined time period.

Claim 11

The method according to claim 8, wherein, in the step (b), the single subperiod is sequentially selected from the N subperiods according to a count value of the counter.

Claim 12

The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of: storing N insertion request flags each indicating that the OAM information block for each path of the N paths is requested to be inserted into the information block stream.

Claim 13

The method according to claim 10, wherein the step (c) comprises: storing an insertion request flag for a single path of the N paths corresponding to the single subperiod selected; and requesting for the insertion of the OAM information block for the single path of the N paths corresponding to the single subperiod selected into the information block stream within the single subperiod selected.

Claim 14

The method according to claim 11, wherein the insertion request flag is stored into a register which is reset when the first idle information block is detected.

Claim 15

A control system for inserting an OAM (Operation and Maintenance) information block for one of N (N is a predetermined integer) paths into an information block stream to transmit the OAM information block at a rate of one OAM information block per a predetermined time period in each of the N paths, the system comprising: first storage means for storing N insertion request flags corresponding to the N paths, respectively; address generating means for generating an address signal for selecting a single subperiod from N subperiods which are allocated to the N paths, respectively, the N subperiods being obtained by dividing the predetermined time period by N; reading means for reading an insertion request flag from the first storage means according to the address signal, the insertion request flag corresponding to the single subperiod selected; second storage means for storing the insertion request flag read from the first storage means; detecting means for detecting an idle information block from the information block stream to produce an idle detection signal; and insertion control means responsive to the idle detection signal, for inserting the OAM information block into a time period of a first idle information block which is first detected within the single subperiod selected when the insertion request flag stored in the second storage means indicates that the OAM information block is requested to be inserted into the information block stream.

Claim 16

A control system for inserting an OAM (Operation and Maintenance) information block for one of N (N is a predetermined integer) paths into an information block stream to transmit the OAM information block at a rate of one OAM information block per a predetermined time period in each of the N paths, the system comprising: first storage means for storing N insertion request flags corresponding to the N paths, respectively; address generating means for generating an address signal for selecting a single subperiod from N subperiods which are allocated to the N paths, respectively, the N subperiods being obtained by dividing the predetermined time period by N; reading means for reading an insertion request flag from the first storage means according to the address signal, the insertion request flag corresponding to the single subperiod selected; second storage means for storing the insertion request flag read from the first storage means; detecting means for detecting an idle information block from the information block stream to produce an idle detection signal; and insertion control means responsive to the idle detection signal, for inserting the OAM information block into a time period of a first idle information block which is first detected within the single subperiod selected when the insertion request flag stored in the second storage means indicates that the OAM information block is requested to be inserted into the information block stream.

Claim 17

The control system according to claim 13, wherein the address generating means comprises: a counter for generating the address signal which is incremented by one according to a first clock and is reset according to a second clock, the first clock having a first period obtained by dividing the predetermined time period by N, and the second clock having a second period of the predetermined time period.

Claim 18

The control system according to claim 13, wherein the insertion control means does not insert the OAM information block into the information block stream when no idle information block is detected by the detecting means within the single subperiod selected.

Claim 19

The control system according to claim 13, wherein the insertion control means resets the insertion request flag stored in the second storage means when the OAM information block is inserted into the time period of the first idle information block within the single subperiod selected.

Claim 20

The control system according to claim 13, wherein the first storage means stores the N insertion request flags each indicating that the OAM information block for each path of the N paths is requested to be inserted into the information block stream.

Claim 21

The method according to claim 1, wherein the OAM information block is a VP-FERF (virtual path - far end receive failure) cell.

Claim 22

The method according to claim 7, wherein the OAM information block is a VP-FERF cell.

Claim 23

The control system according to claim 13, wherein the OAM information block is a VP-FERF cell.