Intelligent and programmable peripheral equipment for the asynchronous management of sensors and drivers in a telecommunication network

The equipment consists of a number of units of a first type, (UCSA1-UCSAn) having processing capability, and of a unit of a second type (UCL1), also having processing capability. The units of the first type asynchronously interrogate the sensors (PE1-PEn), integrate the signals picked up, inform the unit of the second type of the states or the state changes of said signals and send control signals to the drivers (PE1-PEn) The unit of the second type follows the development of a process supervised in dependence on the information received from the units of the first type, communicates the essential process states to a higher hierarchy centre (CE) and, in dependence on messages coming from the higher hierarchy centre and on the processings accomplished, it sends date or commands to the units of the first type. The dialog between the equipment and the higher hierarchy centre is carried out according to a polling-selecting procedure through a serial line (3) to which a plurality of equipments are connected.