INTEGRATED UNIVERSAL INPUT-OUTPUT INTERFACE CIRCUIT

• US 20090213872A1
• Filed: 05/31/2005
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Lammers, Ronald
• Granted Patent: US 8,081,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/463
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

A circuit for enabling communication between a micro-controller device and a number of data networks using different network protocols comprises a switch circuit and a number of interface circuits. The switch circuit is configured to connect input-output terminals of the data network to corresponding terminals of the interface circuits. The interface circutis are configured to convert the data formatted according to the network protocol of the data network to data formatted in accordance with the micro-controller device communication protocol.

Claims

1. Integrated circuit for connecting a micro-controller device to a data network, the data network using a network communication protocol and the micro-controller device using a controller communication protocol, the circuit comprising:

an input terminal connectable to a number of communication lines of the data network;

an output terminal connectable to the micro-controller;

at least two interface circuits for converting an input data stream formatted in accordance with the network communication protocol into an output data stream formatted in accordance with the controller communication protocol;

a switch circuit for connecting selected ones of the communication lines of the input terminal to a corresponding one of the at least two interface circuits, the corresponding one interface circuit being configured to convert the data stream corresponding to the network communication protocol into a data stream corresponding to the controller communication protocol and to supply the data stream formatted in accordance with the controller communication protocol to said output terminal.

2. Integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the switch circuit is configured to determine the network communication protocol of the input data stream and to connect the input terminal to a corresponding interface circuit.

3. Integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the switch circuit is configured to access a switch matrix memory for determining the selected ones of the communication lines to be connected to communication lines of the corresponding interface circuit from a switch matrix stored in the switch matrix memory.

4. Integrated circuit according to claim 3, wherein the circuit has an extension terminal for a connection to an external interface circuit, and the switch matrix is provided with data indicating corresponding connections to be made between selected ones of the communication lines.

5. Integrated circuit according to claim 3, wherein the integrated circuit has a control input terminal connected to the switch circuit for enabling a connection to an external switch matrix memory.

6. Integrated circuit according to claim 3, wherein the switch matrix memory is a reprogrammable memory.

7. The integrated circuit according to claim 2, wherein the switch circuit is configured to access a switch matrix memory for determining the selected ones of the communication lines to be connected to communication lines of the corresponding interface circuit from a switch matrix stored in the switch matrix memory.

8. The integrated circuit according to claim 4, wherein the integrated circuit has a control input terminal connected to the switch circuit for enabling a connection to an external switch matrix memory.

9. The integrated circuit according to claim 4, wherein the switch matrix memory is a reprogrammable memory.

10. An integrated circuit for coupling a micro-controller device to a data network, wherein the data network uses a network communication protocol and the micro-controller device uses a controller communication protocol, the circuit comprising:

input terminal means for coupling to a number of communication lines of the data network;

output terminal means for coupling to the micro-controller;

interface means for converting an input data stream formatted in accordance with the network communication protocol into an output data stream formatted in accordance with the controller communication protocol;

means for coupling selected ones of the communication lines of the input terminal means to a corresponding one of the interface means, the corresponding one of the interface manes being configured to convert the data stream corresponding to the network communication protocol into a data stream corresponding to the controller communication protocol and to supply the data stream formatted in accordance with the controller communication protocol to the output terminal means.