US 4,406,919 A · Method and apparatus for monitoring intermediate regenerative repeaters

Abstract

A method and apparatus for monitoring remotely-fed intermediate regenerative repeaters, in which each intermediate regenerative repeater contains a digital signal regenerative repeater for the digital data signal transmitted and a telemetry signal regenerative repeater for the generation and transmission of a telemetry signal, and in which the telemetry and digital data signals are transmitted over the same transmission line in different frequency bands, provides that the telemetry signal comprises various data blocks. Start and end are characterized by at least one start block and by two end blocks. The result of monitoring is transmitted in an error block. Moreover, a self-check during the transmission of the error block is conducted. The result of the self-check is subsequently transmitted in a test block. Each intermediate regenerative repeater further transmits the received telemetry signal unaltered and following the recognition of the last telemetry signal transmitted by the preceding intermediate regenerative repeater, the regenerative repeater transmits its own locally-generated telemetry signal. At the receiving end, there is an assignment of intermediate regenerative repeaters and telemetry signals so that faulty equipment may be determined by counting of the telemetry signals.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method for monitoring a plurality of regenerative repeaters and transmission links connected in series between line terminal devices in a digital transmission system in which a digital data signal and a telemetry signal are transmitted at the same time, in respective frequency bands, in both directions, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a digital data signal and a telemetry signal from the first repeater, which receives no telemetry signal, of the series toward the opposite end of the transmission signal, including generating a telemetry signal to include data blocks of coded information of the error state of the data signal;
at each intermediate regenerative repeater in the series, receiving, in sequence, the digital and telemetry signals transmitted by each preceding intermediate regenerative repeater;
regenerating and transmitting the received digital data and telemetry signals in the sequence received, including regenerating separately transmitted telemetry signal and data signals received in both transmission directions;
the regenerating and transmitting including testing the received data signals for errors, generating a respective telemetry signal including error information, and transmitting the newly-generated telemetry signal, in sequence, after transmission of the last-received telemetry signal from the preceding intermediate regenerative repeater;
counting the telemetry signals received at a line terminal device at the opposite end of the system;
and
monitoring the plurality of links and regenerative repeaters by evaluating the data blocks of the telemetry signals.

4 more elements

An intermediate regenerative repeater comprising:

a digital signal regenerative repeater for receiving, regenerating and transmitting coded digital data signals;
a telemetry signal regenerative repeater including monitor means connected to said digital regenerative repeater and operable to produce signals representing incoming and outgoing code errors;
and
telemetry means connected to said monitoring means and operable in response to the code errors to generate a corresponding telemetry signal and transmit the same with the digital data signals and in a frequency band different from that of the digital data signals.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for monitoring intermediate regenerative repeaters

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for monitoring intermediate regenerative repeaters

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14