METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ALLOCATING IDENTIFICATION TAGS TO BUS SUBSCRIBERS ON A DATA BUS AND DEVICE WITH BUS SUBSCRIBERS PROVIDED FOR THE SAME

• US 20080186142A1
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: EGO Elektro-Gerã¤Tebau GmbH (EGO Blanc und Fischer & Company GmbH)
• Original Assignee: EGO Elektro-Gerã¤Tebau GmbH (EGO Blanc und Fischer & Company GmbH)
• Inventors: Roth, Bernhard, Herweg, Elmar, Bohm, Frank
• Application Number:
  US12/056,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20080186142A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/746 Protection, e.g. overheat cutoff, hot plate indicator

Abstract

Identification tags are allocated to devices comprising bus subscribers (12a-d) on a data bus (18). The bus subscriber devices are designed with receivers (24a-d) which are designed to receive wirelessly transmitted signals (31) from a transmitter providing the identification tags. These receivers are used to assign an identification tag to the bus subscribers temporarily or permanently before the bus is operation in a normal operating mode for the hob. The invention also covers a method and an apparatus for allocating identification tags to such bus subscribers.

Claims

1. A method for allocating an identification tag to a bus subscriber wherein said bus subscriber is one of a plurality of bus subscribers in a cooking appliance wherein each one of said plurality of subscribers is interconnected to a data bus in said appliance, comprising the steps of:

emitting a position-dependent, wireless signal from a transmitter conveying said identification tag said bus subscribers;

receiving said wireless signal by said bus subscriber; and

storing said identification tag a non-volatile memory associated with said bus subscriber.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identification tag is used to identify a subsequently received control signal for said bus subscriber transmitted by a controller in said appliance to said bus subscriber.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of storing said identification tag in said non-volatile memory comprises the further steps of:

measuring a signal strength of said wireless signal in an evaluating unit in said bus subscriber; and

ascertaining that said signal strength exceeds a predetermined value.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said plurality of bus subscribers are positioned spaced apart in said appliance such that each bus subscriber receives said signal at a respective different signal strength.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein said transmitter emits said signal with a signal emission direction from a fixed position relative to the plurality of bus subscribers, the signal emission direction being specific to said bus subscriber.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein prior to the step of storing said identification tag a non-volatile memory associated with said bus subscriber, the following step occurs:

transmitting data on the data bus by said subscriber device wherein said data represents a signal strength value of said wireless signal.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the identification tag is determined from the strength of the received signal.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining a signal strength value of said wireless signal;

emitting a second position-dependent, wireless signal conveying a second identification tag;

receiving said second wireless signal by said bus subscriber;

ascertaining a second signal strength value of said second wireless signal;

storing said second identification tag in said non-volatile memory associated with said bus subscriber;

ascertaining a first signal strength range associated with said signal strength;

ascertaining a second signal strength range associated with said second signal strength; and

selecting said identification tag based on comparison of a first signal strength range associated with said signal and a second signal strength range associated with said second signal.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the signal has a fixed preamble used by said bus subscriber to ascertain a signal strength of said signal.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said method is performed once during the manufacture of said cooking appliance wherein said cooking appliance comprise said plurality of bus subscribers and said data bus.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said method is performed upon initiating operation of said cooking appliance wherein said cooking appliance comprises the data bus and the bus subscribers.

12. A cooking appliance comprising:

a plurality of electronic modules each functioning as bus subscribers, wherein each electronic module further comprises

a signal receiver capable of receiving a wireless transmitted signal conveying a unique identification tag,

an evaluating device evaluating said wireless signal to ascertain whether to allocate said unique identification tag for identifying a subsequently received control message controlling said electronic module, and

a heating element; and

a common data bus interconnecting said plurality of electronic modules, wherein said subsequently received control message is transmitted over said data bus.

13. The device according to claim 12 wherein said evaluating device measures a signal strength of said signal, said evaluating device using said signal strength to allocate said identification tag.

14. The device according to claim 13 further comprising a controller connected to said data bus, wherein a value of said signal strength is communicated using said data bus.

15. An apparatus for allocating identification tags to a cooking appliance, said cooking appliance comprising a data bus and a plurality of bus subscribers, wherein each bus subscriber comprises a hob including a heating element and a wireless receiver, said apparatus comprising:

at least one transmitter for emitting a wireless signal to said bus subscribers, wherein said wireless signal conveys a unique identification tag.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 comprising a plurality of transmitters, wherein each of said plurality of transmitters transmits a respective signal conveying one of a plurality of identification tags to a respective one of said plurality of bus subscribers.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said transmitter is movable and can be positioned nearest any one of said plurality of bus subscribers.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said transmitter is constructed in such a way an emission angle range is adjustable for directing said signal to a given one of the plurality of bus subscribers.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said transmitter is positioned relative to the bus subscribers in such a way that no two bus subscribers have the same distance from the transmitter.

20. Apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that the apparatus has a control unit able to connect to the data bus.