Communication Packet Timestamp Tagging Despite Transfer Reordering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication systems fail to accurately associate timestamps with packets due to discrepancies between the order of data transfer and transmission requests, leading to inappropriate tagging and synchronization issues.
Innovation Solution
A communication apparatus with a requester unit, transfer unit, and control unit that controls the output of tags associating packets with timestamps based on predetermined information from the interface between the transfer unit and the transmission unit, ensuring accurate timestamp association.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If data transfer arbitration is performed based on priority order according to data size, then transfer efficiency is improved, but the order of data transfer becomes different from the order of transmission requests, causing timestamp association errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by storing the transmission request order information in a buffer before the actual data transfer occurs. This allows the system to preserve the original request sequence independently of the arbitration-based transfer order, enabling accurate timestamp association even when transfers are prioritized by data size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (buffer or storage unit) that holds the transmission request order information. This intermediary decouples the relationship between request order and transfer order, allowing the arbitration mechanism to optimize transfer efficiency while the intermediary preserves the original sequencing information for accurate timestamp pairing.
2Productivity
If multiple requesters issue transmission requests simultaneously, then data throughput is improved, but determining which requester's data corresponds to the transmitted data becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the transmission request information into separate segments for each requester, with each segment containing unique identification information. This allows the system to handle multiple simultaneous requests from different requesters while maintaining the ability to identify and associate each transmitted data packet with its specific requester.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by providing information back to the requester about the status and ordering of their transmission requests. This feedback mechanism ensures that each requester can track their data through the arbitration process and confirm proper association with transmitted packets, preventing loss of requester identification information.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication apparatus includes a requester unit configured to issue a request for transmission of a packet, a transfer unit configured to transfer the packet based on the request, a transmission unit configured to transmit the packet transferred by the transfer unit and to output a timestamp based on the transmission of the packet, and a control unit configured to control output of a tag associating the packet with the timestamp based on predetermined information that is read from an interface between the transfer unit and the transmission unit.