Smart control and sensor devices single wire bus multiplex system
First Claim
1. A multiplex system within a motor vehicle for both controlling a plurality of individual relay drivers and for monitoring the status of a plurality of individual alternate-action switches disposed throughout a motor vehicle.(a) a bi-directional, single wire bus for transmitting voltage signals in a first direction and current signals, in a second direction in given formats, said bus being routed throughout the vehicle near each of said plurality of relay drivers and said plurality of switches, said voltage and said current signals being derived in said multiplexed system;
- (b) a plurality of smart switch sensors, each of said sensors being disposed near each of said plurality of switches, each of said means for forming a first connection with each of said plurality of switches and another means for forming a second connection across said bus and a chassis ground of said vehicle, each of said switch sensor means having circuits for providing current signals which are placed on said bus, each of said sensors placing a current signal on said bus during a predetermined time slot of a polling cycle of said switches, said current signals being indicated of a status of a contact of said switch and of said sensors associated with the predetermined time slot;
(c) a plurality of smart control elements, each of said control elements being disposed near relay drives, each of said control elements having means for forming connections with first and second terminals of said relay drivers and another means for forming a connection across said bus and the chassis ground of said vehicle, each of said control elements having circuits for providing current signals which are placed on said bus, each of said control elements placing a current signal on said bus during a predetermined time slot of a given polling cycle of said switch sensors and said control element, said current signals being indicative of a status of said relay drivers of said control elements associated with the predetermined time slots, each of said control elements also having means for providing ON and OFF control signals to each of said relay drivers upon completion of a predetermined number of successive sequences of the polling cycle of each of said control elements;
(d) a driver and receiver means connected to a power source of a vehicle and a terminating end of said single-wire bus for generating power and voltage signals in the form of an offset square-wave pulse train of a chosen format, said pulse train being driven onto said bus by said driver and receiver means, said switch sensors and said control elements being connected to said bus 50 as to receive said pulse train and to use various voltage levels of said pulse train to derive power for operation of circuits within said switch sensors and within said control elements, said pulse train also providing voltage signals indicative of a polling of each switch sensor and each control element so that each of said plurality of sensors and each of said plurality of control elements are addressed in sequence and then allotted individual predetermined time on said bus, the addressing of each sensor and each control element and the allotment of time on said bus being performed in a chosen sequential manner, the sequential manner forming the polling cycle of said sensors, and said control elements, the polling of each of said sensors and each of said control elements being at a chosen polling cycle rate;
said driver and receiver means also having means for receiving and then converting said current signals sent over said bus by an addressed sensor or an addressed control element into voltage signals indicative of the status of each of said addressed sensor and said associated switch and of the status of each of said addressed control element and said associated relay driver;
(e) display means for displaying the status of each of said plurality of switch sensors and said associated switches, as well as each of said plurality of control elements and said associated relay drivers;
(f) a microcomputer means interconnecting said driver and receiver means and said display means for (1) writing voltage and clock signals to said driver and receiver circuits which controls the generation of the offset square wave pulse train including the various voltage levels placed on the bus, for (2) reading voltage signals from said driver and receiver circuit indicative of current signals on the bus caused by each of said addressed sensor and its associated switch or of said addressed control element and its associated relay driver, for (3) establishing a history of performance of each of said addressed sensors, said associated switches, said addressed control elements and said associated relay drivers and of said bus during each polling cycle of said sensors and said control elements and for (4) transferring updated independent sensor, switch, control element and relay driver data indicative of the status of said sensors, said switches, said control elements and said relay drivers to said display means during each polling cycle.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Control of a plurality of relay drivers by smart control devices and the continuous status monitoring of a plurality of switches and associated smart sensors, wherein each smart control device and each smart sensor is connected at a separate single point on a single-wire bus, are affected by a smart control and sensor device multiplex system. The system employs a microcomputer and a driver and receiver circuit for developing a particular offset square wave pulse train which is placed on the bus to provide power and control voltage signals to the plurality of smart control devices and smart sensors. The smart control devices contain circuits that respond to the wave form in a manner that causes each smart control device to drive an associated relay driver after a chosen number of polling cycles. Current signals are sent over the bus back to the driver and receiver indicative of the status of the smart control device. The smart sensors contain cirucits that respond to the waveform in a manner that causes each smart sensor to send current signals back over the single wire bus to the driver and receiver circuit and then on to the microcomputer during designated repetitive and sequential time slots. The driver and receiver circuit receives, interprets and converts the current signals from the smart control devices and the smart sensor into voltage signals used by the microcomputer for establishing a history of the status of the bus, the control devices, the sensors and the switches. The microcomputer supplies continuous and updated information to a display system indicative of the status of each control device and each sensor and its assoicated switch.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A multiplex system within a motor vehicle for both controlling a plurality of individual relay drivers and for monitoring the status of a plurality of individual alternate-action switches disposed throughout a motor vehicle.
(a) a bi-directional, single wire bus for transmitting voltage signals in a first direction and current signals, in a second direction in given formats, said bus being routed throughout the vehicle near each of said plurality of relay drivers and said plurality of switches, said voltage and said current signals being derived in said multiplexed system; -
(b) a plurality of smart switch sensors, each of said sensors being disposed near each of said plurality of switches, each of said means for forming a first connection with each of said plurality of switches and another means for forming a second connection across said bus and a chassis ground of said vehicle, each of said switch sensor means having circuits for providing current signals which are placed on said bus, each of said sensors placing a current signal on said bus during a predetermined time slot of a polling cycle of said switches, said current signals being indicated of a status of a contact of said switch and of said sensors associated with the predetermined time slot; (c) a plurality of smart control elements, each of said control elements being disposed near relay drives, each of said control elements having means for forming connections with first and second terminals of said relay drivers and another means for forming a connection across said bus and the chassis ground of said vehicle, each of said control elements having circuits for providing current signals which are placed on said bus, each of said control elements placing a current signal on said bus during a predetermined time slot of a given polling cycle of said switch sensors and said control element, said current signals being indicative of a status of said relay drivers of said control elements associated with the predetermined time slots, each of said control elements also having means for providing ON and OFF control signals to each of said relay drivers upon completion of a predetermined number of successive sequences of the polling cycle of each of said control elements; (d) a driver and receiver means connected to a power source of a vehicle and a terminating end of said single-wire bus for generating power and voltage signals in the form of an offset square-wave pulse train of a chosen format, said pulse train being driven onto said bus by said driver and receiver means, said switch sensors and said control elements being connected to said bus 50 as to receive said pulse train and to use various voltage levels of said pulse train to derive power for operation of circuits within said switch sensors and within said control elements, said pulse train also providing voltage signals indicative of a polling of each switch sensor and each control element so that each of said plurality of sensors and each of said plurality of control elements are addressed in sequence and then allotted individual predetermined time on said bus, the addressing of each sensor and each control element and the allotment of time on said bus being performed in a chosen sequential manner, the sequential manner forming the polling cycle of said sensors, and said control elements, the polling of each of said sensors and each of said control elements being at a chosen polling cycle rate;
said driver and receiver means also having means for receiving and then converting said current signals sent over said bus by an addressed sensor or an addressed control element into voltage signals indicative of the status of each of said addressed sensor and said associated switch and of the status of each of said addressed control element and said associated relay driver;(e) display means for displaying the status of each of said plurality of switch sensors and said associated switches, as well as each of said plurality of control elements and said associated relay drivers; (f) a microcomputer means interconnecting said driver and receiver means and said display means for (1) writing voltage and clock signals to said driver and receiver circuits which controls the generation of the offset square wave pulse train including the various voltage levels placed on the bus, for (2) reading voltage signals from said driver and receiver circuit indicative of current signals on the bus caused by each of said addressed sensor and its associated switch or of said addressed control element and its associated relay driver, for (3) establishing a history of performance of each of said addressed sensors, said associated switches, said addressed control elements and said associated relay drivers and of said bus during each polling cycle of said sensors and said control elements and for (4) transferring updated independent sensor, switch, control element and relay driver data indicative of the status of said sensors, said switches, said control elements and said relay drivers to said display means during each polling cycle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification