Inventors:
Mohammed Fassih-Nia - Austin TX
Ernest A. Cisneros - Pflugerville TX
Milton E. Cram - Austin TX
Donald Ray Taylor - Austin TX
Assignee:
Weed Instrument Company, Incorporated - Round Rock TX
International Classification:
H04B 1020
H04B 1000
Abstract:
An optical communication system (11) includes a plurality of nodes (16,17,18,19), each node connected in a first optical communication path (22) and a second optical communication path (23) extending parallel to the first optical communication path. The first optical communication path (22) is joined to each node by a first receiver (30) and first transmitter (31), while the second optical communication path (23) is joined to each node by a second receiver (32) and second transmitter (33). One of the nodes comprises a control unit node (19) having a control unit (37) associated therewith. The other nodes of the communication system comprise data unit nodes, each having a data unit (36) associated therewith. The communication system (11) normally operates with the control unit (37) in an open mode of operation in which data is not transferred across the node. Thus, in normal operation, the communication system (11) operates in an open ring configuration.