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Prioritized unidirectional distributed bus accessing system

  • US 4,510,599 A
  • Filed: 04/04/1983
  • Issued: 04/09/1985
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1983
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A bus communication system, comprising:

  • (a) a plurality of segments of a unidirectional transmit bus;

    (b) a unidirectional receive bus such that information packets from said transmit bus are placed on said receive bus; and

    (c) a plurality of bus interface units (BIUs) coupled in series with successive segments, respectively, of said transmit bus, each said BIU including a transmit bus input and a transmit bus output, said transmit bus input of each BIU being coupled, respectively, to the transmit bus output of the next upstream BIU, each said BIU also including a receive bus input connected to said receive bus, each said BIU being capable of transmitting an information packet of predetermined priority on said transmit bus, each said BIU including;

    (1) a memory for storing a plurality of information packets to be transmitted; and

    (2) a control circuit associated with said memory for selectively operating said BIU in an active and a passive mode, said control circuit causing said BIU to operate as a repeater during said passive mode such that packets received on said transmit bus input are retransmitted on said transmit bus output and causing said BIU to operate as a transmitter during said active mode such that said BIU sequentially transmits said information packets stored in its said memory in accordance with said predetermined priority.

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