Configurable two-wire interface module

• US 20050243408A1
• Filed: 03/07/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: II-VI Delaware, Inc. (Coherent Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Finisar Corporation (II-VI Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dybsetter, Gerald L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,765,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/341.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals

Abstract

A telecommunications system and constituent two-wire interface module. The two wire interface module includes a logic component configured to communicate over the same pair of wires using different two-wire interface protocols depending on an input signal presented on a configuration input. This configurability allows the two-wire interface module to use the same two wires to communicate with a variety of other two-wire interface modules, even if those two-wire interface modules communicate using different two-wire interface protocols.

Claims

1. A two-wire interface module comprising the following:

a first two-wire interface wire;

a second two-wire interface wire; and

a configuration input; and

a logic component configured to communicate over the first and second two-wire interface wires using a first two-wire interface protocol when the configuration input receives a first input signal,

wherein the two-wire interface module is configured to communicate over the first and second two-wire interface wires using a second two-wire interface protocol when the configuration input receives a second input signal.

2. A two-wire interface module in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first two-wire interface comprises the I²C two-wire interface.

3. A two-wire interface module in accordance with claim 2, wherein the second two-wire interface protocol comprises the FSB two-wire interface protocol.

4. A two-wire interface module in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first two-wire interface protocol comprises the FSB two-wire interface protocol.

5. A two-wire interface module in accordance with claim 4, wherein the second two-wire interface protocol comprises the I²C two-wire interface.

6. A two-wire interface module in accordance with claim 1, wherein the two-wire interface module is a first two-wire interface module further comprising the following:

a third two-wire interface wire; and

a fourth two-wire interface wire,

wherein when a second two-wire interface module communicates over the third and fourth two-wire interface wires with the first two-wire interface module using the second two-wire interface protocol and when the configuration input receives the second input signal, the two-wire interface module is configured to pass the signals on the third and fourth two-wire interface wires to the first and second two-wire interface wires.

7. A telecommunications system comprising a two-wire interface module, the two-wire interface module comprising the following:

a first two-wire interface wire;

a second two-wire interface wire; and

a configuration input; and

a logic component configured to communicate over the first and second two-wire interface wires using a first two-wire interface protocol when the configuration input receives a first input signal,

wherein the two-wire interface module is configured to communicate over the first and second two-wire interface wires using a second two-wire interface protocol when the configuration input receives a second input signal.

8. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the two-wire interface module is a first two-wire interface module, the telecommunications system further comprising the following:

a second two-wire interface module configured to communicate over the first and second two-wire interface wires using the first two-interface protocol when the configuration input of the first two-wire interface module receives the first input signal.

9. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 8, further comprising the following:

a third two-wire interface module configured to communicate with the first two-wire interface module using the second two-wire interface.

10. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the two-wire interface module is a first two-wire interface module, the telecommunications system further comprising the following:

a second two-wire interface module configured to communicate over the first and second two-wire interface wires using the second two-interface protocol when the configuration input of the first two-wire interface module receives the second input signal.

11. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 10, further comprising the following:

a third two-wire interface module configured to communicate with the first two-wire interface using the second two-wire interface protocol.

12. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, further comprising the following:

a third two-wire interface module configured to communicate with the two-wire interface using the second two-wire interface protocol.

13. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the first two-wire interface protocol comprises the I²C two-wire interface protocol.

14. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the second two-wire interface protocol comprises the FSB two-wire interface protocol.

15. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the first two-wire interface protocol comprises the FSB two-wire interface protocol.

16. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 15, wherein the second two-wire interface protocol comprises the I²C two-wire interface protocol.

17. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the two-wire interface module is a first two-wire interface module further comprising the following:

a third two-wire interface wire; and

a fourth two-wire interface wire,

wherein when a second two-wire interface module communicates over the third and fourth two-wire interface wires with the first two-wire interface module using the second two-wire interface protocol and when the configuration input receives the second input signal, the two-wire interface module is configured to pass the signals on the third and fourth two-wire interface wires to the first and second two-wire interface wires.