Abstract: Systems and methods increase the available bandwidth for stations on a network, eliminate collisions during normal operations, do not require a network administrator, scale essentially linearly, are self-organizing, self-diagnosing and reporting, and are deterministic. One station becomes the starting bus master and creates a table of all the stations on the network along with their corresponding delays relative to the starting bus master. The stations communicate in an order determined by the starting bus master with the first station being a starting bus master and the last station an ending bus master. The starting bus master transmits a beginning of sequence message and the ending bus master generates an end of sequence message. The stations need not be limited to any specific wavelength nor need they be forced to transmit during any specific time slot. The network automatically adds or drops stations from the network.

Abstract: An optical interface device for extracting, inserting and passing light transmitted bi-directionally on one or more fiber optic line, comprises: a first optical coupler for receiving light to be inserted onto or extracted from the fiber optic line; and a fiber optic-line, optical coupler, coupled to the fiber optic line and to the first optical coupler, for passing light on the fiber optic line, for receiving light from the first optical coupler to be inserted onto the fiber optic line and transmitting said received light in opposite directions on the fiber optic line, and for extracting light from opposite directions on the fiber optic line and transmitting said extracted light to the first optical coupler.

Abstract: A bi-directional, redundant, optical transport system is configured to provide a non-blocking, bi-directional, multi-channel, protocol independent optical transport system for the simultaneous transfer of digital, analog, and discrete data between a plurality data terminal equipment. The optical transport system includes a light transmission line for transmitting light bi-directionally and a plurality of nodes, connected in series by the light transmission line for receiving, extracting and passing signal light.

Abstract: A distributed geophone data acquisition system is disclosed that includes a receiver for the geophone data and a plurality of data cables connected together and to the receiver at one end. The cables have a plurality of twisted pairs of electrical conductor channels and two fiber optic light guides. Multiple geophone takeouts are connected to separate channels of the cables. Remote data units are connected between adjacent ends of each data cable that convert the geophone signals on each channel to light signals for transmitting through the fiber optic light guide of the next cable to the next remote data unit and ultimately to the receiver.

Abstract: Disclosed is a direction sensing apparatus employed with universal connectors at the data units located along a data transmission cable. Each connector includes an optical source and an optical detector and the connecting segments cable between units each includes two fiberoptic conduits. One is for the transmission of control signals in a direction away from a master station and the other is for the transmission of the data signals toward the master station. Logic circuitry within each unit determines the presence of the first light source detected at the unit and switches the signals modulated thereon to the command channel within the unit. This switching also applies the signals modulated on the second-in-time light source detected at the unit to be applied to the data channel within the unit. Hence, it makes no difference which of the two connections at each data unit is used for connecting with the preceding station or with the succeeding station.

Abstract: A pressure compensated, fiber optic coupler for use underwater includes a water impermeable housing have first and second apertures to receive the respective optical fibers. One fiber is permanently held by the seal to the first aperture. The other fiber is inserted through the second aperture which is sealed by a conformable seal which is biased closed when no fiber is inserted through it. An incompressible, refraction of index matched fluid fills the interior of the housing to provide pressure compensation. The conformable seal is conveniently constructed of flexible neoprene and the housing is preferably titanium.

Abstract: Disclosed is an instantaneous floating point amplifier which continuously generates an offset correction voltage level for each possible gain word controlling an internal cascaded amplifier. The offset voltage levels are digitized and stored until an input data signal is received. A portion of the output analog-to-digital converter system for the floating point amplifier is utilized on a time sharing basis to regenerate an analog offset correction voltage. The offset correction voltage is input into a summing network inserted into the amplifier circuit between internal preamplifier and amplifier components. When the input signal has been grounded, the offset correction voltage is disconnected from the input summing network and the floating point amplifier is cycled through its gain operations.

Abstract: A bi-directional, redundant, optical transport system is configured to provide a non-blocking, bi-directional, multi-channel, protocol independent optical transport system for the simultaneously transfer of digital, analog, and discrete data between a plurality data terminal equipment. The optical transport system includes a light transmission line for transmitting light bi-directionally and a plurality of nodes, connected in series by the light transmission line for receiving, extracting and passing signal light.