Apparatus and method for providing power from master controller to subcontrollers and data communication therebetween
First Claim
1. A communication system comprising:
- master controller means for providing three different voltage levels including pulses of first and second voltage levels, the pulses of said first voltage level being power pulses;
subcontroller means including at least one subcontroller adapted to store energy and to selectively transmit information upon being powered by the energy stored thereby;
first and second conductors extending between said master controller means and said subcontroller means and coupling said subcontroller means to said master controller means, said first and second conductors being normally disposed at the third voltage level;
said master controller means providing pulses of said first voltage level to supply power along said first and second conductors to be received by said subcontroller means as energy stored therein and providing said second voltage level pulses to address said at least one subcontroller; and
said at least one subcontroller transmitting information on said first and second conductors to said master controller means in response to receiving said second voltage level pulses therefrom.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus having a two wire system for providing both power and data communication between a master controller and at least one subcontroller. The master controller can also be connected through the conductors to submaster controllers which in turn have subcontrollers connected thereto. The master controller is capable of addressing each of the submaster controllers and subcontrollers individually. A three voltage level system can be utilized to provide both power and addressing through the two conductors. Data transmitted by the subcontrollers can be analog and/or digital. A data entry device and an information display device can be connected to the master controller in the same manner as other subcontrollers.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A communication system comprising:
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master controller means for providing three different voltage levels including pulses of first and second voltage levels, the pulses of said first voltage level being power pulses; subcontroller means including at least one subcontroller adapted to store energy and to selectively transmit information upon being powered by the energy stored thereby; first and second conductors extending between said master controller means and said subcontroller means and coupling said subcontroller means to said master controller means, said first and second conductors being normally disposed at the third voltage level; said master controller means providing pulses of said first voltage level to supply power along said first and second conductors to be received by said subcontroller means as energy stored therein and providing said second voltage level pulses to address said at least one subcontroller; and said at least one subcontroller transmitting information on said first and second conductors to said master controller means in response to receiving said second voltage level pulses therefrom. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for providing data communication between a master controller and a subcontroller through a pair of conductors coupling said master controller and said subcontroller, comprising the steps of:
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producing transitions between three separate voltage levels in said master controller in certain predetermined sequences to said pair of conductors with at least one voltage level providing power; storing energy in said subcontroller when said one voltage level providing power is produced by said master controller and transmitted to said subcontroller via said pair of conductors; and selectively transmitting data from said subcontroller to said master controller via said pair of conductors when another voltage level of said three separate voltage levels is produced by said master controller in accordance with a certain predetermined sequence of transitions between said three separate voltage levels by said master controller on said pair of conductors.
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9. A communication system comprising:
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a first device for displaying information in human readable form; a second device for manually entering information into the system; master controller means for providing three different voltage levels including pulses of first and second voltage levels, the pulses of said first voltage level being power pulses, said master controller means being operably associated with said first and second devices for respectively providing information thereto and receiving information therefrom, said master controller means being effective to produce transitions from said first voltage level to said second and third voltage levels, from said second voltage level to said first and third voltage levels and from said third voltage level to said first and second voltage levels in a plurality of different predetermined sequences of transitions; subcontroller means including at least one subcontroller for storing energy from said power pulses and selectively transmitting information in response to a particular one of said plurality of predetermined sequence of transitions to said master controller means; first and second conductors disposed between said master controller means and said subcontroller means and interconnecting said master controller means to said subcontroller means, said first and second conductors being normally disposed at the third voltage level; said master controller means providing pulses of said first voltage level to supply power along said first and second conductors to be received by said subcontroller means as energy stored therein; said at least one subcontroller of said subcontroller means receiving said power pulses from said first and second conductors as provided by said master controller means for storing power from said power pulses and being responsive to receipt of said particular one of said plurality of predetermined sequences of transitions between the three voltage levels as provided by said master controller means via said first and second conductors for transmitting information on said first and second conductors to said master controller means; and said subcontroller means being operably coupled to said first and second devices for providing information to said first device and for receiving information from said second device. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. A communication system comprising:
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a first device for displaying information in human readable form; a second device for manually entering information into the system; master controller means operably associated with said first and second devices for respectively providing information thereto and receiving information therefrom, said master controller means being effective to provide power pulses including a plurality of different predetermined sequences of power pulses; subcontroller means including a plurality of subcontrollers, each of said subcontrollers being effective to store energy from said power pulses and being selectively responsive to a different predetermined sequence of power pulses unique thereto for transmitting information to said master controller means; first and second conductors disposed between said master controller means and said plurality of subcontrollers and interconnecting said master controller means to said plurality of subcontrollers; a submaster controller coupled to said first and second conductors; at least one additional subcontroller operably associated with said submaster controller; conductor means independent of said first and second conductors disposed between said submaster controller and said at least one additional subcontroller and inteconnecting said master controller means to said at least one additional subcontroller through said submaster controller; said master controller means providing power pulses including a particular one of said plurality of predetermined sequences of power pulses to said first and second conductors; the corresponding one of said plurality of subcontrollers receiving said power pulses from said first and second conductors as provided by said master controller means for storing power from said power pulses and being responsive to receipt of said particular one of said plurality of predetermined sequences of power pulses from said first and second conductors as provided by said master controller means to transmit information on said first and second conductors to said master controller means; and at least one of said subcontrollers being operably coupled to said first and second devices for providing information to said first device and for receiving information from said second device.
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Specification