Telecommunication system with transmitting stations selectively operable as temporary reference stations

Claim 1

In a telecommunication system having a plurality of intercommunicating stations each provided with transceiver means for sending out and receiving information, each of said stations being identified by an individual address code and having allocated to it at least one subframe in a predetermined series of subframes constituting a recurrent frame of coded signals, the improvement wherein each of said stations comprises: first signal-generating means connectable to said transceiver means for sending out a frame-synchronizing signal together with the address code of the station during a first subframe of any frame; second signal-generating means connectable to said transceiver means for sending out a subframe-synchronizing signal together with transmittable data during a subframe allocated to the station; timing means triggerable by an incoming frame-synchronizing signal for establishing a reference subframe followed by a succession of data subframes and for emitting an actuating signal during said allocated subframe operatively connecting said second signal-generating means to said transceiver means; register means connected to said transceiver means for storing an address code accompanying an incoming frame-synchronizing code and for identifying a data subframe associated with the stored address code; comparison means connected to said register means and said timing means for generating a coincidence signal upon the occurrence of said associated data subframe; programming means responsive to said coincidence signal for establishing a waiting phase and to a subframe-synchronizing signal for terminating said waiting phase, said programming means being further responsive to an occurrence of said actuating signal in said waiting phase for establishing a standby condition and to a frame-synchronizing signal for terminating said standby condition; and monitoring means connected to said transceiver means and responsive to nonreception of the frame-synchronizing signal for generating a failure signal to operate said programming means for converting said standby condition into a reference condition with operative connection of said first signalgenerating means to said transceiver means.

Claim 9

A method of operating a telecommunication system wherein a multiplicity of stations intercommunicate in different data subframes respectively allocated to said stations in a recurrent frame of coded signals, comprising the steps of: assigning to each of said stations an address establishing a predetermined order of succession; activating at least one of said stations for data transmission in its allocated data subframe; periodically emitting from the first activated station a frame-synchronizing signal together with its address, thereby identifying same as a temporary reference station; emitting from each active station including the temporary reference station, in the data subframe respectively allocated thereto, a subframe-synchronizing signal indicative of the active condition of the station; monitoring at each active station the emission of subframe-synchronizing and frame-synchronizing signals and deriving the identity of the temporary reference station from the address accompanying each frame-synchronizing signal; determining from said identity at each active station the occurrence of the respectively allocated data subframe within each frame; establishing at each active station a waiting phase immediately following the data subframe allocated to the temporary reference station and terminating said waiting phase upon the reception of a subframe-synchronizing signal from any other station prior to the occurrence of said respectively allocated data subframe; establishing, at the first active station following the temporary reference station in said order of succession, a standby condition in response to nonreception to a subframe-synchronizing signal from any other station during said waiting phase; and initiating, at the last-mentioned station, the periodic emission of the address thereof together with a frame-synchronizing signal upon prolonged nonreception of such signal in said standby condition, thereby identifying said last-mentioned station as a new temporary reference station.

Claim 10

A method of operating a telecommunication system wherein a multiplicity of stations intercommunicate in different data subframes respectively allocated to said stations in a recurrent frame of coded signals, comprising the steps of: assigning to each of said stations an address establishing a predetermined order of succession; activating at least one of said stations for data transmission in its allocated data subframe; periodically emitting from the first activated station a frame-synchronizing signal together with its address, thereby identifying same as a temporary reference station; emitting from each active station including the temporary reference station, in the data subframe respectively allocated thereto, a subframe-synchronizing signal indicative of the active condition of the station; monitoring at each active station the emission of subframe-synchronizing and frame-synchronizing signals and deriving the identity of the temporary reference station from the address accompanying each frame-synchronizing signal; determining from said identity at each active station the occurrence of the respectively allocated data subframe within each frame; establishing at each active station a waiting phase immediately following the data subframe allocated to the temporary reference station and terminating said waiting phase upon the reception of a subframe-synchronizing signal from any other station prior to the occurrence of said respectively allocated data subframe; establishing, at the first active station following the temporary reference station in said order of succession, a standby condition in response to nonreception to a subframe-synchronizing signal from any other station during said waiting phase; and initiating, at the last-mentioned station, the periodic emission of the address thereof together with a frame-synchronizing signal upon prolonged nonreception of such signal in said standby condition, thereby identifying said last-mentioned station as a new temporary reference station.