Patent GB-1508986-A (GB)
Title: Digital network synchronising system
IPC: H04J3/06
Filed: 1974-05-29
Abstract: 1508986 Synchronizing digital systems POST OFFICE 2 June 1975 [29 May 1974] 23714/74 Headings H4M and H4P In a digital communications system having at least two stations, (each as in Fig. 2) connected by at least one link, each station includes a local clock oscillator 4 and a communication aligner 2 including a store into which signal digits are entered as they arrive over the link and from which digits are read in response to the local clock. A fill counter 8 for the link records continuously a total representing the number of digits stored in the aligner. An indication of this total is transmitted over the link to a fill counter at the remote end of the link and an indication of the total in the fill counter at the other end is received at an information extracting circuit 9. A fill difference circuit 10 forms the difference between the totals in the fill counters at the two ends of the link and an arrangement 7, 12 responds to the difference between the totals to adjust the frequency of the local clock oscillator so as to reduce the difference. Each station also includes a unit 11 for periodically or intermittently modifying the total in the fill counter of the particular station so that the total lies within a particular range of values. The fill counter 8 records the inverse of the number of digits which would appear in an aligner having the same capacity as the fill counter. This capacity may be an even multiple of a TDM frame length. The fill difference circuit 10 produces advance or retard signals in dependence on the sign of the fill difference, or out of limits signals. These signals are compared at 7 with the corresponding signals from the remote station extracted at 9 to provide a signal passed to a common control module 12 for the control of the local clock 4. The clock control signal is also determined by reference to control signals from other links (on line 13). The local and remote fills are periodically compared in modifier unit 11 to produce a signal used to modify the total in the local fill counter so that it does not go out of range. The local fill advance and retard, or out of limits signals are transmitted over 15, 14 to the transmission link. The modifier unit 11 may produce two types of modifier: (i) a balanced modifier which is applied simultaneously at both ends of a link to have the effect of modifying the aligner fills in the same direction so that the fill difference is unchanged; or (ii) if the requirement for a modifier arises because of a change in one direction only of the delay on the link, then a straight modifier rather than a balanced one must be used. The modifiers aim to alter the aligner fills to be exactly half full (one half frame) when the local and remote clocks are in phase, thus allowing for the delay in the link. They must be periodically checked for validity and updated to account for, changes in the link and to ensure that the clocks remain in phase. In one method, the modifier may be periodically updated, every four seconds automatically. In another, it may be updated only when a link failure is detected. Detailed circuitry for the units 6-13 in Fig. 2 is explained by reference to Figures 3-9 (not shown). The system described operates with a 256 digit frame and frame duration of 125 microseconds. The aligner fills are counted in quarter digits. The clock control is such that if the fill difference is less than two digits, no control charge is effected. Advance and retard signals are applied to adjust the phase of the clock for fill difference between 2 and 3 digits, for difference greater than 3 an out of limits signal is produced. The units described are a sequence generator (Fig. 3); a link output unit (Fig. 4) which takes in the advance, retard and out of limits signals from both local and remote aligner to derive advance and retard signals for application to the common control module 12, and to provide displays indicating the state of the link; a receive signal module (Fig. 5) which staticizes blocks of incoming digits over the link, performs parity checks on groups of digits and passes a remote one or two frame count to a subtractor unit (Fig. 7). An averager and programmable delay (Fig. 6) produces a delayed version of a remote frame start signal for use in timing operations. An addersubtracter and modifier store (Fig. 7) enables either balanced or straight modifiers to be calculated in response to the remote fill from the receive signal module and generates local out of limits signals. The sum of the modifiers is formed in a separate adder and applied to the programmable delay. A transmit signal module (Fig. 8) receives local fill information and the advance, retard and out of limits signals and constructs a block of data for transmission to the remote end of the line. Finally a fill decoder (Fig. 9) is described which receives indications of the values of local and remote fill and produces the local advance, retard and out of limit signals.