Architecture and control of a distributed signal processor

The SPAN-I is a distributed, digital signal processing system which can perform real-time operations such as spectral analysis at input data rates up to 40 Mbits/sec. The processor consists of twelve major components connected to a ring bus operating at 64 Mbytes/sec. In addition to the transfer of both instructions and data between units, the bus supports "party lines" which allow data to be sent to multiple destinations. A unique software structure, supported by the bus hardware, achieves the synchronous parallel operation of all units.