Multiplex information handling system

A multiplex information handling system, comprising:

• control equipment having a state;
• a plurality of transmitters, each having at least one input connected to said control equipment, each of said plurality of transmitters including generating means for generating address codes for each of said data bits, said address codes being determined by the state of, and corresponding to, said control equipment;
• a plurality of receivers, each having at least one output which is connected to a corresponding load, and a respective receiver code identifying said at least one output;
• and
• signal bus means for connecting said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers so as to convey said address codes and said data bits from said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers as transmitted address codes and transmitted data bits, respectively;
• each of said plurality of receivers including comparing means for comparing each conveyed address code with said receiver code, and routing means responsive to coincidence between said each conveyed address code and said respective receiver code for routing the conveyed data bits to said identified at least one output;
• whereby any one of said corresponding loads is controlled by said control equipment at any one of said transmitter inputs, given the address code corresponding to said control equipment coinciding with said respective receiver code identifying said at least one output connected to said corresponding load;
• said system further comprising a power bus through which power may be fed in operation to the transmitters and receivers, the signal bus and the power bus comprising a single coaxial cable, the signal bus comprising a central inner cable of said single coaxial cable and the power bus comprising a cable screen of said single coaxial cable.

A multiplex information handling system, comprising:

• control equipment having a state;
• a plurality of transmitters, each having at least one input connected to said control equipment, each of said plurality of transmitters including generating means for generating address codes for each of said data bits, said address codes being determined by the state of, and corresponding to, said control equipment;
• a plurality of receivers, each having at least one output which is connected to a corresponding load, and a respective receiver code identifying said at least one output;
• and
• signal bus means for connecting said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers so as to convey said address codes and said data bits from said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers as transmitted address codes and transmitted data bits, respectively;
• each of said plurality of receivers including comparing means for comparing each conveyed address code with said receiver code, and routing means responsive to coincidence between said each conveyed address code and said respective receiver code for routing the conveyed data bits to said identified at least one output;
• whereby any one of said corresponding loads is controlled by said control equipment at any one of said transmitter inputs, given the address code corresponding to said control equipment coinciding with said respective receiver code identifying said at least one output connected to said corresponding load;
• said system further comprising a power bus, and wherein the states of said control equipment are controlled so that said control equipment operates outside the transmission times of the transmitters, whereby to avoid interference and corruption of said signals carried by the signal bus by transients created on the power bus by equipment switching.

A multiplex information handling system, comprising:

• control equipment having a state;
• a plurality of transmitters, each having at least one input connected to said control equipment, each of said plurality of transmitters including generating means for generating address codes for each of said data bits, said address codes being determined by the state of, and corresponding to, said control equipment;
• a plurality of receivers, each having at least one output which is connected to a corresponding load, and a respective receiver code identifying said at least one output;
• and
• signal bus means for connecting said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers so as to convey said address codes and said data bits from said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers as transmitted address codes and transmitted data bits, respectively;
• each of said plurality of receivers including comparing means for comparing each conveyed address code with said receiver code, and routing means responsive to coincidence between said each conveyed address code and said respective receiver code for routing the conveyed data bits to said identified at least one output;
• whereby any one of said corresponding loads is controlled by said control equipment at any one of said transmitter inputs, given the address code corresponding to said control equipment coinciding with said respective receiver code identifying said at least one output connected to said corresponding load;
• said control equipment having a time constant, and said transmitted data bits having a repeat cycle time chosen to be faster than the time constant of any of the control equipment, so that the transmission of an error in one cycle of transmitted data bits is corrected in the next subsequent cycle without any error signal being registered on the control equipment.

A multiplex information handling system, comprising:

• control equipment having a state;
• a plurality of transmitters, each having at least one input connected to said control equipment, each of said plurality of transmitters including generating means for generating address codes for each of said data bits, said address codes being determined by the state of, and corresponding to, said control equipment;
• a plurality of receivers, each having at least one output which is connected to a corresponding load, and a respective receiver code identifying said at least one output;
• and
• signal bus means for connecting said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers so as to convey said address codes and said data bits from said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers as transmitted address codes and transmitted data bits, respectively;
• each of said plurality of receivers including comparing means for comparing each conveyed address code with said receiver code, and routing means responsive to coincidence between said each conveyed address code and said respective receiver code for routing the conveyed data bits to said identified at least one output;
• whereby any one of said corresponding loads is controlled by said control equipment at any one of said transmitter inputs, given the address code corresponding to said control equipment coinciding with said respective receiver code identifying said at least one output connected to said corresponding load;
• said system further comprising means for electronically introducing a time constant for said control equipment so as to inhibit the registering of a faulty signal in one transmission cycle by said control equipment until that faulty signal can be corrected in the next subsequent transmission cycle.

A multiplex information handling system, comprising:

• control equipment having a state;
• a plurality of transmitters, each having at least one input connected to said control equipment, each of said plurality of transmitters including generating means for generating address codes for each of said data bits, said address codes being determined by the state of, and corresponding to, said control equipment;
• a plurality of receivers, each having at least one output which is connected to a corresponding load, and a respective receiver code identifying said at least one output;
• and
• signal bus means for connecting said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers so as to convey said address codes and said data bits from said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers as transmitted address codes and transmitted data bits, respectively;
• each of said plurality of receivers including comparing means for comparing each conveyed address code with said receiver code, and routing means responsive to coincidence between said each conveyed address code and said respective receiver code for routing the conveyed data bits to said identified at least one output;
• whereby any one of said corresponding loads is controlled by said control equipment at any one of said transmitter inputs, given the address code corresponding to said control equipment coinciding with said respective receiver code identifying said at least one output connected to said corresponding load;
• said system further comprising biasing means for biasing said control equipment to turn on more quickly than it turns off.

A multiplex information handling system, comprising:

• control equipment having a state;
• a plurality of transmitters, each having at least one input connected to said control equipment, each of said plurality of transmitters including generating means for generating address codes for each of said data bits, said address codes being determined by the state of, and corresponding to, said control equipment;
• a plurality of receivers, each having at least one output which is connected to a corresponding load, and a respective receiver code identifying said at least one output;
• and
• signal bus means for connecting said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers so as to convey said address codes and said data bits from said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers as transmitted address codes and transmitted data bits, respectively;
• each of said plurality of receivers including comparing means for comparing each conveyed address code with said receiver code, and routing means responsive to coincidence between said each conveyed address code and said respective receiver code for routing the conveyed data bits to said identified at least one output;
• whereby any one of said corresponding loads is controlled by said control equipment at any one of said transmitter inputs, given the address code corresponding to said control equipment coinciding with said respective receiver code identifying said at least one output connected to said corresponding load;
• said system further comprising biasing means for biasing said control equipment to turn off more quickly than it turns on.

A multiplex information handling system, comprising:

• control equipment having a state;
• a plurality of transmitters, each having at least one input connected to said control equipment, each of said plurality of transmitters including generating means for generating address codes for each of said data bits, said address codes being determined by the state of, and corresponding to, said control equipment;
• a plurality of receivers, each having at least one output which is connected to a corresponding load, and a respective receiver code identifying said at least one output;
• and
• signal bus means for connecting said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers so as to convey said address codes and said data bits from said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers as transmitted address codes and transmitted data bits, respectively;
• each of said plurality of receivers including comparing means for comparing each conveyed address code with said receiver code, and routing means responsive to coincidence between said each conveyed address code and said respective receiver code for routing the conveyed data bits to said identified at least one output;
• whereby any one of said corresponding loads is controlled by said control equipment at any one of said transmitter inputs, given the address code corresponding to said control equipment coinciding with said respective receiver code identifying said at least one output connected to said corresponding load;
• said system further comprising applying means for applying a signal to the signal bus means to inhibit one of transmission and reception;
• wherein the applying means applies a d.c. signal.

A multiplex information handling system, comprising:

• control equipment having a state;
• a plurality of transmitters, each having at least one input connected to said control equipment, each of said plurality of transmitters including generating means for generating address codes for each of said data bits, said address codes being determined by the state of, and corresponding to, said control equipment;
• a plurality of receivers, each having at least one output which is connected to a corresponding load, and a respective receiver code identifying said at least one output;
• and
• signal bus means for connecting said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers so as to convey said address codes and said data bits from said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers as transmitted address codes and transmitted data bits, respectively;
• each of said plurality of receivers including comparing means for comparing each conveyed address code with said receiver code, and routing means responsive to coincidence between said each conveyed address code and said respective receiver code for routing the conveyed data bits to said identified at least one output;
• whereby any one of said corresponding loads is controlled by said control equipment at any one of said transmitter inputs, given the address code corresponding to said control equipment coinciding with said respective receiver code identifying said at least one output connected to said corresponding load;
• said system further comprising applying means for applying a signal to the signal bus means to inhibit one of transmission and reception;
• said system further comprising security device means operatively associated with said applying means for selectively enabling and disabling the system.

A multiplex information handling system, comprising:

• control equipment having a state;
• a plurality of transmitters, each having at least one input connected to said control equipment, each of said plurality of transmitters including generating means for generating address codes for each of said data bits, said address codes being determined by the state of, and corresponding to, said control equipment;
• a plurality of receivers, each having at least one output which is connected to a corresponding load, and a respective receiver code identifying said at least one output;
• and
• signal bus means for connecting said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers so as to convey said address codes and said data bits from said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers as transmitted address codes and transmitted data bits, respectively;
• each of said plurality of receivers including comparing means for comparing each conveyed address code with said receiver code, and routing means responsive to coincidence between said each conveyed address code and said respective receiver code for routing the conveyed data bits to said identified at least one output;
• whereby any one of said corresponding loads is controlled by said control equipment at any one of said transmitter inputs, given the address code corresponding to said control equipment coinciding with said respective receiver code identifying said at least one output connected to said corresponding load;
• said system further comprising applying means for applying a signal to the signal bus means to inhibit one of transmission and reception;
• wherein each transmitter is disabled, in operation, for a predetermined time after transmission.

A multiplex information handling system, comprising:

• control equipment having a state;
• a plurality of transmitters, each having at least one input connected to said control equipment, each of said plurality of transmitters including generating means for generating address codes for each of said data bits, said address codes being determined by the state of, and corresponding to, said control equipment;
• a plurality of receivers, each having at least one output which is connected to a corresponding load, and a respective receiver code identifying said at least one output;
• and
• signal bus means for connecting said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers so as to convey said address codes and said data bits from said plurality of transmitters to said plurality of receivers as transmitted address codes and transmitted data bits, respectively;
• each of said plurality of receivers including comparing means for comparing each conveyed address code with said receiver code, and routing means responsive to coincidence between said each conveyed address code and said respective receiver code for routing the conveyed data bits to said identified at least one output;
• whereby any one of said corresponding loads is controlled by said control equipment at any one of said transmitter inputs, given the address code corresponding to said control equipment coinciding with said respective receiver code identifying said at least one output connected to said corresponding load;
• wherein certain ones of said plurality of transmitters comprise means for transmitting a fault signal representative of a fault condition in any of said control equipment and means for receiving said fault signal and for identifying the source of the fault therefrom;
• said system further comprising display means operatively associated with the means for receiving said fault signal for displaying the location of the fault to which the received fault signal relates.