Undersea wye connection for a submarine cable system

Claim 2

A branching network for a submarine cable system having a main cable section and a plurality of branch cable sections, each of said cable sections being connected to individual grounded land stations for the simultaneous transmission of signal and power between land stations, comprising signal separation means connected to each of said cable sections to couple signals in both directions between said main and branch cables in a predetermined manner, individual power separation means connected to said main cable sections and each of said plurality of branch cable sections, the power separation means of said main cable section being connected between said main section and a common junction, nonlinear voltage responsive means connected between said common junction and ground to provide a path for at least a portion of the current transmitted by said land stations, and a plurality of diode means individually connected between each of said individual power separation means connected to each of said plurality of branch cable sections and said common junction, each of said diode means being responsive to a trouble condition in their respective branch to terminate the current flow through that branch thereby proportionally reducing the current flow through said nonlinear voltage responsive means.

Claim 3

A branching network for a submarine cable system having a main cable section and two branch cable sections, each of said cable sections being connected to individually grounded land stations for the simultaneous transmission of signal and power between land stations, comprising signal separation means connected to each of said cable sections to couple signals in both directions between said main and branch cables in a predetermined manner, power separation means connected to each of said cable sections, first and second diode means connected respectively to the power separation means connected to said first and second branch cable sections, means connecting said main cable section power separation means, and said first and second diode means at a common junction, and nonlinear voltage responsive means connected between said common junction and ground to provide a current path for at least a portion of the current transmitted by said lAnd stations under normal conditions and substantially terminate said current path in the event of a trouble condition in one of said branches, said first and second diode means being responsive to a trouble condition in their respective branch so as to terminate current flow through the troubled branch.

Claim 4

A branching network for a submarine cable system having a main cable section and two branch cable sections, each of said cable sections being connected to individually grounded land stations for the simultaneous transmission of signal and power between land stations, comprising signal separation means connected to each of said cable sections to couple signals in both directions between said main and branch cables in a predetermined manner, power separation means connected to each of said cable sections, first and second diode means connected respectively to the power separation means connected to said first and second branch cable sections, means connecting said main cable section power separation means, and said first and second diode means at a common junction, and nonlinear voltage responsive means connected between said common junction and ground to provide a current path for at least a portion of the current transmitted by said lAnd stations under normal conditions and substantially terminate said current path in the event of a trouble condition in one of said branches, said first and second diode means being responsive to a trouble condition in their respective branch so as to terminate current flow through the troubled branch.

Claim 5

A branching network for a submarine cable system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said nonlinear voltage responsive means comprises a series string of avalanche diodes which are normally biased beyond the knee portion of their voltage-current characteristic in reverse conduction and short of the knee portion of the voltage-current characteristic in the event of a trouble condition in one of said branches to terminate substantially all reverse conduction through said avalanche diodes.

Claim 6

A branching network for a submarine cable system in accordance with claim 3 wherein the voltage output of said land station connected to said main cable section has a positive polarity with respect to ground, and the voltage output of said branch cable land stations have a negative polarity with respect to ground, said first and second diode means comprising individual diodes poled for forward conductivity from said common junction to said respective power separation means.

Claim 7

A branching network for a submarine cable system having a main cable section and two branch cable sections, each of said cable sections being connected to individual grounded land stations for the simultaneous transmission of signal and power between land station, comprising signal separation means connected to each of said cable sections, an equalizer connected to the signal separation means connected to said main cable section, a three port hybrid network having one port connected to said equalizer, a second port connected to one of said branch cable sections, and a third port to the remaining branch section to couple signals between the main and branch sections in a predetermined manner, an individual power separation filter connected to each of said cable sections, first and second diodes each having one of their electrodes individually connected to the said power separation filter connected respectively to said first and second branch cable sections, means connecting said main cable section power separation filter and the remaining electrode of said first and second diodes at a common junction, and string of series connected avalanche diodes connected from said common junction to ground and normally biased for reverse conduction to provide a current path for a current proportional to the current in one of said branches, said avalanche diodes being biased in the event of a trouble condition in one of said branches so as to terminate substantially all of the reverse conduction therethrough, said first and second diodes being poled to be responsive to a trouble condition in their respective branches so as to terminate current flow through a respective branch without interfering with transmission through the remaining branch and said main branch.

Claim 8

A branching network for a submarine cable system having a main cable section and two branch cable sections, each of said cable sections being connected to individual grounded land stations for the simultaneous transmission of signal and power between land station, comprising signal separation means connected to each of said cable sections, an equalizer connected to the signal separation means connected to said main cable section, a three port hybrid network having one port connected to said equalizer, a second port connected to one of said branch cable sections, and a third port to the remaining branch section to couple signals between the main and branch sections in a predetermined manner, an individual power separation filter connected to each of said cable sections, first and second diodes each having one of their electrodes individually connected to the said power separation filter connected respectively to said first and second branch cable sections, means connecting said main cable section power separation filter and the remaining electrode of said first and second diodes at a common junction, and string of series connected avalanche diodes connected from said common junction to ground and normally biased for reverse conduction to provide a current path for a current proportional to the current in one of said branches, said avalanche diodes being biased in the event of a trouble condition in one of said branches so as to terminate substantially all of the reverse conduction therethrough, said first and second diodes being poled to be responsive to a trouble condition in their respective branches so as to terminate current flow through a respective branch without interfering with transmission through the remaining branch and said main branch.