Harris Corporation

Thomas J Nixon

Norman C Seiler

George A Waschka, Jr

Harold Iley

Paul W Casper

Peter H Halpern

James W Toy

Fred J Orlando

J Richard Jones

Charles R Patisaul

Willie T Burton, Jr

Ronald R Giri

W B Ashley

A repeatered, multichannel fiber optic communication network includes a plurality of full duplex fiber optic channels and one or more auxiliary channels. In order to supervise and control the operation of the network, for both data transmission and fault/maintenance actions, each terminal station contains a processor-based subsystem capable of network monitoring, first level maintenance action, fault isolation, and remote network control and status reporting. This processor-based subsystem interfaces with each fiber optic channel, with an orderwire communication link, and with external input/output devices and surveillance equipment. Three substantially autonomous processor-based sections which are dedicated to performing specific functions within the overall network operation are employed for carrying out these separate interfacing tasks. Each section of the processor-based subsystem in a terminal station contains its own CPU and associated memory and is programmed to carry out specific functions identified with that section. Each section is interconnected with the other two so that, internally, the subsystem is fully integrated.

Repeatered, multi-channel fiber optic communication network having fault

An orderwire scheme for a multichannel repeated communication network contains an auxiliary communication link that is coupled to communication sites along the network and is configured of a pair of orderwire links each formed of a conventional interstitial copper wire pair. To carry out supervisory functions with respect to each of the stations along the communication link, messages are conveyed from a control facility coupled to or as part of the network to respective stations along the link in the form of command instructions. These messages may contain a request for information from the addressed site as to equipment conditions at the site or a directive that the equipment at the site perform a particular task. In reply to the command message sent to it the addressed site returns a response message back to the control facility representative of the action taken including any data requested by the instructions. In addition to providing a distributed communication link over which supervisory command and response messages can be transmitted among the stations along the orderwire link, a further facility for conveying voice communications over the same orderwire link is provided. In order to implement the exchange of command and response messages among the various sites of the network, supervisory signals are transmitted using digitally encoded ON/OFF keying of frequency tone signals.

Orderwire communication system

Voice and alarm signalling capability between supervisory personnel at monitor and control sites located at separated transceiver facilities of a (repeatered) multichannel communication network is provided by a multichannel multiplexed encode/decode scheme in which voice and/or alarm signals generated at one station are digitally encoded and formatted so as to be inserted into the data stream of the normally conveyed data traffic over the active channels of the network. At the receiving terminal site, these inserted signals are removed from the high data rate digital data stream and delivered to decoding equipment which reconstructs the original voice and/or alarm signals for delivery to the audio equipment of station operation personnel. The encoded signals are inserted as overhead bits for each active channel, so that a fault on one channel will not prevent the completion of trasmission of the intended communication between terminal site personnel.

Voice alarm signalling system

Growing community of inventors

Gaithersburg, MD, United States of America

Thomas J Nixon