SYNCHRONIZING SYSTEM

Abstract: Stored program controlled stations associated with a digital telecommunication network each include: a plurality of clocks (7/1...7/n) and an adjustable oscillator (1) for generating the transmission pulses used in the local station and adjacent stations; a phase difference meter (12) for determining, with the aid of a clock selector (13), phase differences between the pulses of the oscillator and the clock pulses; a plurality of regulation value generators (9-11) which are connected via a regulation value generator selector (15) to the phase difference meter, each generator converting, in accordance with its own network synchronizing method known per se, determined phase differences to regulation values for regulating the oscillator. The program memories of the stations include reprogrammable selection memories (16, 17) to store control information by which one of the network synchronizing methods is selected and by which the clock selectors and generator selectors are controlled such that the oscillators are synchronized in accordance with the selected method.

Description: SYNCHRONIZING SYSTEM TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a synchronizing system for synchro¬ nizing stored program controlled digital telecommunication stations, according to a synchronizing method selected from a plurality of met¬ hods known per se and feasible with the aid of the system. The sta- tions are interconnected by means of time-division-multiplex (TDM) links. Each station includes an oscillator provided with a frequency regulation input, for generating a transmission pulse swinging about a normal clock pulse, and includes a plurality of adjacent clocks for ge¬ nerating bit pulses at which the station receives information transfer- red on pertinent TDM links, and includes a phase difference meter for determining, in accordance with one of said synchronizing methods, phase differences, between the oscillator transmission pulse and the bit pulses of the clocks, and includes a regulation value generator for con¬ verting said phase differences to values for regulating the oscillator frequency. BACKGROUND ART The US patent 4,075,428 describes an apparatus, in a stored program controlled telecommunication station, for generating regulation values according to a given synchronizing method, said values being transmitted to the frequency regulation.input of the station oscillator. The known apparatus includes a digital filter and a memory which stores weight factors, each of which is assigned to one of the clocks as well as an algorithm for averaging with the aid of the filter and the weight factors, a number of phase differences between pulses from the station oscillator and the clocks. A change of the network synchronizing method is obtained by changing the memory contents. It is also known, e.g. from a paper No. 132-1 "Transition t ' o a digital telephone network" which was read at the 1976 International Switching Symposium in Kyoto, Japan, to synchronize a digital stored program controlled telecommunication network with the aid of a method suited to the size of the network and the standard of communication, and to change the synchronizing method at certain occasions, e.g. in conjunc¬ tion with extending the network or improving its standard. Such a synchronizing method change affects the whole of the network in question and has so far required rather extensive alterations in all the stations of thereof. Even though apparatus according to said US patent are used, a synchronizing method change includes altering the extensive contents in the program memories of the communication network. Such alterations are difficult to carry out without disturbing network operation. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION A synchronizing system in accordance with the invention enables changing between a plurality of network synchronizing methods known per se without suffering operational disturbances. The digital stored program controlled stations are built from the very beginning with a standard such that all the synchronizing principles in question are feasible at any time. In each station there is arranged a plurality of regulation value generators each associated with its own principle. During each network operational period the synchronizing method best suited to the occasion is selected with the aid of a few specifications characteristic of the principle. In addition to the regulation value generator in question, these specifications indi¬ cate the clocks affecting the phase difference averaging according to the selected principle, and are stored as control information in the program memory of the network. The characterizing features of the inven¬ tion are apparent from the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The invention will be explained hereinafter with reference to the appended drawing, the sole figure on which illustrates the part of a network synchronizing system in accordance with the invention, included in a stored program controlled digital telecommunication station pro¬ vided with a plurality of adjacent clocks and a master clock. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An individual station included in a digital telecommunication network does not need to know itself how adjacent stations utilize, for network OMPI synchronization, the transmission clock pulse conventionally generated by its oscillator 1 and synchronizing signal pattern.generator 2. On the other hand, central network control is needed to determine the current network synchronizing principle. Such central network control information is received conventionally by each station with the aid of its own signal reception means 3 via signalling channels on TDM links 4 which are used for transferring information coming to the station. Each station also includes a conventional signal transmission means 5, connected to said signal pattern generator 2 and signalling channels on TDM links 6 for transferring information departing from the station. The signal reception means 3 is connected to conventional adjacent clocks 7/1...7/n, each of which generates its own bit pulse at which the station receives information via an associated TDM link 4 with transmission direction towards the station. Said oscillator 1 is provided with an input for receiving analog fre¬ quency regulation voltage values obtained with the aid of a digital- analog (D/A) converter &• from digital regulation values, each of which is generated during a regulation interval by one of a plurality of regulation value generators 9-11. The oscillator pulse is transferred to one input of a digital phase difference meter 12, the other input of which is connected to a clock selector 13. The drawing illustrates a station which includes a master clock 14 having a stable frequency used in conventional so-called despotic synchronization for generating the normal clock pulse of the network. The master clock as each of the adjacent clocks of the station 7/1...7/1, has its output connected to an associated input of the cloc .selector 13. A digital value denoting the momentary phase difference between the station. transmission clock pulse and the bit pulse received via the clock selector is obtained on the output of the phase difference meter. A constant phase difference value associated with the same clock denotes that frequency synchroni¬ zation exists between the compared pulses. The stations of the tele¬ communication network each includes a regulation value generator selector. 15 with the aid of which, in the embodiment illustrated on the drawing, the output of the phase difference meter is connected to an input on one of the regulation value generators 9-11, which each uses its own OMPI conventional synchronizing principle to convert phase difference values determined according to this principle to digital frequency regulation values. No detailed description of conventional synchronizing principles is needed to understand the proposed synchronizing system. All the prin¬ ciples have in common that the relevant regulation value generator receives a plurality of phase difference values during each regulation interval. In the mentioned despotic synchronization, a frequency regula¬ tion value calculation is carried out with the aid of generator 9 on the basis of a single phase difference value received from the phase diff¬ erence meter 12. In so-called mutual single-ended synchronization, the calculation of a frequency regulation value is carried out with the aid of generator 10 on the basis of a plurality of phase difference values received from the phase difference meter 12. In so-called mutual double-ended synchronization the calculation of a frequency regulation value is carried out with the aid of generator 11 on the basis of a first plurality of phase difference values which are generated by the station phase difference meter 12, and a second plurality of phase difference values generated by the adjacent stations and received via the aforementioned signal reception means 3. On the drawing, it is shown that for mutual double-ended synchronization the first plurality of phase difference values is transmitted via the aforementioned signal transmission means 5 to the adjacent stations. For selecting a current network synchronizing principle,- in the proposed synchronizing system, it is transmitted to each station first control information for controlling the station clock selector 13 and selecting the current clocks,as well as second control information for controlling the station regulation value generator selector 15 upon selection of the generator in question. The specifications of said first and second con- trcl information are stored in a doubled reprogramable first and second selection memory 16 and 17 respectively, included in the station program memory, but illustrated on the drawing as a separate memory for the sake of clarity. The first selection memory 16. is thereby provided with a scanning means 18 for cyclic specification reading, one cycle per regu- lation interval. By doubling the selection memories there is enabled selection between two synchronizing methods, e.g. with the aid of a flip-flop 19 and and AND gates 20-23. On the drawing there is indicated that the setting of the flip-flop and writing-in of control information in the selection memories is carried out conventionally via signal reception means 3. It is further depicted that the memories store synchronizing speci ications associated with two different methods. With the aid of a specification sequence "(7/1), (7/2), (7/n-2), (7/n)" stored in the memory 16, the clock selector 13 is controlled such that, for example, the phase difference meter 12 receives bit pulses from the adjacent clocks 7/1 and 7/2 and 7/2 and 7/n-2 and 7/n during a regulating interval. The generator selector 15 is controlled with the aid of a specification "(9)" stored in the memory 17 such that, for example, the phase diffe¬ rence meter 12 is connected to generator 9. If it is assumed that the flip-flop 19 activates the gates 20 and 22 during a first network operation period, the network is synchronized during this period with the aid of despotic synchronization, the station illustrated on the drawing being used as master station. A change of state of the flip- flop 19 then results in activation of the gates 21 and 23 and initiates a second network operation period with mutual single-ended synchroni¬ zation in association with the adjacent clocks 7/1, 7/2, 7/n-2 and 7/n. With the aid of state change of the station flip-flops there is obtained interruption-free change between two network synchroni¬ zing methods.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A synchronizing system for synchronizing stored program controlled digital telecommunication stations, interconnected by means of time-divi ¬ sion-multiplex (TDM) links, according to a synchronizing method indica ¬ ted from a plurality of methods known per se which are feasible with the aid of the system, each station including an oscillator provided with a frequency regulation input for generating a transmission pulse swinging about a normal clock pulse, and including a plurality of adja¬ cent clocks for generating bit pulses at which the station receives information transferred on pertinent TDM links and including a phase difference meter for determining, in accordance with one of said syn¬ chronizing methods, phase differences between the oscillator trans¬ mission pulse and the bit pulses of the clocks, and including a regulation value generator for converting said phase differences to values for regulating the oscillator frequence, characterized in that each station includes a clock selector 13, the inputs of which are connected to the clocks (7/1...7/n) of the station, and the out¬ put of which is connected to the phase difference meter (12), and inclu¬ des regulation value generators (9-11) which individually convert, accor¬ ding to their respective synchronizing method, determined clock pulse phase differences to regulation values sent to said frequency regulation input of the station oscillator (1), and includes a regulation value generator selector C15) for activating one of said generators, and in that the program memories of the stations include reprogramable selection memories ( 16,17) for storing control information with the aid of which the clock selectors and regulation value generator selectors of the system.are controlled such that the oscillators of the stations are synchronized in accordance with the selected synchronizing method. 2. Synchronizing system according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the stations includes a master clock (14) for generating the normal clock pulse, which is connected to the clock selector (13) of this sta¬ tion. OM

Inventors: JOENSSON STIG RAGNAR EMANUEL, LARSSON LARS-ERIK ANDERS, JOENSSON, STIG, RAGNAR, EMANUEL, LARSSON, LARS-ERIK, ANDERS
Applicants: ERICSSON TELEFON AB L M, TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET L M ERICSSON
Application year: 1983
Main classification: H04J3
IPC codes: H04J3