Connecting element, method for bus communications between a control unit for activating personal protective means as master and at least one connecting element for weight measurement in a seat as slave, and bus system

• US 20070173083A1
• Filed: 07/22/2004
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Kopplin, Sascha
• Granted Patent: US 7,668,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/76.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle

Abstract

A connecting element is proposed for weight measurement in a vehicle seat, which has connecting means and bus communications means. The connecting means make possible connecting to a single-wire bus. Furthermore, a method is proposed for making possible the bus communications between a control unit as master and at least one connecting element as slave. In this context, an address is assigned to the connecting element for the bus communications as a function of the serial number of the connecting element. Furthermore, a bus system is proposed having a control unit for activating personal protective means as a master, and at least two connecting elements which are configured for weight measurement in a vehicle seat. The bus system is developed as a single-wire bus.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A connecting element for weight measurement in a vehicle seat, comprising:

a connecting arrangement to a single-wire bus; and

a bus communications arrangement.

12. The connecting element as recited in claim 11, wherein the connecting arrangement is configured so that the connecting arrangement indicates an installation position of the connecting element using hardware coding.

13. The connecting element as recited in claim 12, wherein the connecting arrangement includes:

a voltage connection,

a data communications connection,

a ground connection and

a configuration connection, a wiring configuration of the configuration connection indicating the installation position.

14. The connecting element as recited in claim 11, wherein the bus communications arrangement includes a toroidal core store that stores a measured value for the weight measurement, the connecting element further comprising an indicator to retrieve the measured value.

15. The connecting element as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

a memory storing a serial number that characterizes the connecting element.

16. The connecting element as recited in claim 11, wherein the connecting element is configured as a slave to the bus communications.

17. A method for bus communications between a control unit for activating a personal protective device as a master, and at least one connecting element for weight measurement in a vehicle seat as a slave, comprising:

causing the control unit to assign to the at least one connecting element a respective address in accordance with a respective serial number of the at least one connecting element.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

sending the at least one connecting element a request message; and

transmitting from the connecting element a measured value to the control unit as a function of the request message.

19. A bus system, comprising:

a control unit for activating a personal protective device as a master;

at least two connecting elements configured for weight measurement in a vehicle seat as slaves; and

a bus system having a single-wire bus.

20. The bus system as recited in claim 19, wherein the at least two connecting elements include four connecting elements installed in the vehicle seat.