SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTERFACING DEVICES

• US 20090006815A1
• Filed: 06/18/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: I SQUARED LLC
• Original Assignee: I SQUARED LLC
• Inventors: Loubier, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 8,248,984 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 712/208
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc

Abstract

A system in one embodiment includes (i) an interface module to control and monitor the system; a plurality of power cells which act as a point of power delivery and monitor environmental variables that effect function and reliability, (ii) a radio frequency transmitter and receiver to manage nodes distributed across the plurality of power cells, (iii) a maintenance module presenting information requests to be forwarded to the plurality of power cells, and (iv) a communication bus for distribution of data throughout the system.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an interface module to control and monitor the system;

a plurality of power cells which act as a point of power delivery and monitor environmental variables that effect function and reliability;

a radio frequency transmitter and receiver to manage nodes distributed across the plurality of power cells;

a maintenance module presenting information requests to be forwarded to the plurality of power cells; and

a communication bus for distribution of data throughout the system.

2. A system, comprising:

an input device produces an output which activates the system;

a decoder buffers an active state of the input device derived from the output;

a processor enables the decoder based on the state of the input device, and compares a current state of the decoder to a previous state of the input device to validate a state change, the input device stored in an array by the processor; and

a processor array decodes and associates the validated state change with at least one predefined function.

3. The system of claim 2, the processor programmed to perform the comparison on a bit by bit bases.

4. The system of claim 2, the processor programmed to, after a predefined time period, repeat the comparison.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the decoding and associating includes:

selecting at least one element from an array pool; and

assembling the at least one selected element as a data packet.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising

a communication data bus that receives the data packet, and wherein the processor:

decodes a cell address in the data packet to determine if the cell address matches a destination cell address of a destination cell, and

if the cell address in the data packet matches the destination cell address, disassembles and decodes the data packet, and

temporarily stores the decoded packet.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising, at the destination cell, a static service agent and a dynamic service agent, wherein

the static service agent selects elements from an array pool, and

the dynamic service agent assembles the selected elements in a dynamic pool to form a function.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the pool is monitored to determine whether the function has expired or remains in a state of active management.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor array performs the decoding and associating from one of:

a single input to multiple functions, multiple inputs to a single function, a single input to a single function and multiple inputs to multiple functions.

10. A method for interfacing devices comprising:

producing an output;

buffering an active state of an input derived from the output;

enabling a decoder based on the state of the input device;

comparing a current state of the decoder to a previous state of the input device to validate a state change; and

decoding and associating the validated state change.

11. The method of claim 10, which includes performing the comparison on a bit by bit bases.

12. The method of claim 10, which includes, after a predefined time period, repeating the comparison.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein decoding and associating the validated state change includes using at least one predefined function.

14. The method of claim 10, which includes decoding and associating from one of a single input to multiple functions, multiple inputs to a single function, a single input to a single function and multiple inputs to multiple functions.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the decoding and associating includes:

selecting at least one element from an array pool; and

assembling the at least one selected element as a data packet.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising a communication data bus that receives the data packet, and which further includes:

decoding a cell address in the data packet to determine if the cell address matches a destination cell address, and

if the cell address in the data packet matches the destination cell address, disassembling and decoding the data packet, and

temporarily storing the decoded packet.

17. The method of claim 16, which includes, at the destination cell, selecting elements from an array pool, and assembling the selected elements in a dynamic pool to form a function.

18. The method of claim 17, which includes monitoring the pool to determine whether the function has expired or remains in a state of active management.

19. the method of claim 10, which includes producing the output upon activation of the input device.

20. The method of claim 19, which includes storing the input device state as part of an array.