Patent · US Expired

Fault tolerant optical cross-channel data link

US5396357A · kind A · utility

42Cited by
8References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 25, 1994
Grant dateMar 7, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 25, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L12/437
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A cross-channel data link for interconnecting a plurality of computers together in a ring configuration using a single optical fiber between adjacent communication nodes includes wavelength division multiplexing circuitry in a way that improves the fault diagnostic capabilities of the system. By using a particular transmission protocol in which optical data representing signals of two discrete wavelengths are fed through a single optical fiber with one progressing in the clockwise direction and the other in a counterclockwise direction in two recurring time frames, at the conclusion each of the computers is guaranteed to have identical data irrespective of any single point failure in the data link.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.