Modular multiplex/demultiplex apparatus

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to FIG.
1, there is shown a telephone communication system 1 employing a modular multiplex/demultiplex apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention.
In the telephone communication system of FIG.
1, a plurality of subscribers Sl-Sn at a first location are able to communicate over a standard telephone network TN with subscribers at another location (not shown).
Data originating with the subscribers Sl-Sn, typically in a digital, series-bit format and at a bit rate of 32Khz, is applied to a multiplexer arrangement 2 and time division multiplexed thereby into serial bit streams, for example, at a frequency or bit rate of 2.
048 Mhz, and applied to a switching network 3.
The switching network 3 operates to connect each multiplexed signal received thereby to a particular input of a demultiplexer arrangement 5 wherein the signal is demultiplexed, for example, into nine parallel bits, and applied to corresponding inputs of a corresponding one of a plurality of multiplex/demultiplex module units MX/DMX1 .
.
.
MX/DMXN provided in the aforementioned multiplex/demultiplex apparatus 10.
As will be described in greater detail hereinafter in connection with FIGS.
2 and 3, the multiplex/demultiplex module units MX/DMX1 .
.
.
MX/DMXN are individual units of like design and construction and may be interconnected together into one or more groups, for example, as shown in FIG.
3, and selectively assigned on a group basis to a plurality of trunk group modules TGM1-TGM4.
A typical maximum number of module units MX/DMX1 .
.
.
MX/DMXN is 16.
Each group of module units MX/DMX1 .
.
.
MX/DMXN assigned to a corresponding one of the trunk group modules TGM1-TGM4 is arranged to multiplex the data received thereby from the demultiplexer arrangement 5 and to route the multiplexed data to the associated trunk group module.
The data applied to the trunk group module is synchronized with a frame signal F1 and then applied to corresponding modems M1-M4 and transmitted thereby in a standard fashion over the telephone network TN to a remote subscriber location