Patent ID: 7519085

Claim:
A control unit for distributing multiplexed audio data over an optical network, the control unit comprising: an audio sampler that samples a plurality of electrical signals from transducers and generates a plurality of raw audio data streams from the electrical signals, the audio sampler capable of sampling the electrical signals at a fraction of a frame synchronization rate (F s ) of the optical network; a microcomputer having an audio processor function and a multiplexer function, wherein the audio processor function processes the plurality of raw audio data streams to generate a single processed audio data stream from the plurality of raw audio data streams at the frame synchronization rate (F s ) of the optical network, and wherein the multiplexer function multiplexes the plurality of raw audio data streams and the single processed audio data stream generated from the plurality of raw audio data streams to generate a multiplexed audio data stream having a plurality of frames, each frame having a plurality of time division multiplexed channels wherein a first channel within each frame is assigned to transmit the plurality of raw audio data streams and a second channel within each frame is assigned to transmit the single processed audio data stream; and an optical network interface that receives the multiplexed audio data stream from the microcomputer and generates an optical multiplexed audio data stream based on the multiplexed audio data stream from the microcomputer.