Multiple terminal passive multiplexing apparatus

A multiple terminal passive multiplexing apparatus comprising:

• first and second propagation means comprising means along which carrier signals may propagate in forward and reverse directions respectively;
• sensor means sequentially positioned along and coupled to said propagation means for adding modulation representative of sensed data to said modulated carrier signals, thereby forming modified modulation carrier signals, said sensor means including transmission means coupled between said first and second propagation means having transmission coefficients that are functions of external sources applied thereto whereby carrier signals propagating along said first propagation means and incident to said sensor means are transmitted therethrough with instantaneous modulations representative of instantaneous values of said external sources, establishing, for each modified modulated carrier signal, a sequence of time multiplexed modified modulated carrier signals propagating along said second propagation means in said reverse direction,
• means coupled to said second propagation means for receiving said sequence of modified modulated carrier signals and for detecting said modified modulations, thereby establishing a time division multiplexed sequence of signals having substantially modified modulation waveforms, said sequence of signals being in correspondence with said sequentially positioned sensor means;
• and
• demultiplexing means having a multiplicity of output terminals in correspondence with said sequence of sensor means for receiving said sequence of signals and coupling signals of said sequence of signals to corresponding output terminals.