Information handling and control systems
First Claim
1. An information handling and control system, comprising:
- (a) a central unit and a plurality of remote units each connected to the central unit by a respective signalling link;
(b) battery means for operating the system when connected to the central unit and to at least some of the remote units;
(c) said central unit including processing and control means and power supply means, the latter being turned on to operate the processing and control means in an active mode of the system and being turned off in a sleep mode of the system;
(d) said processing and control means being operative for applying, during said active mode, an operation voltage in pulse form to a data line in each signalling line;
(e) one of said data lines being connected to power supply control means in the central unit and to activation voltage drive means in the respective remote unit;
(f) said power supply control means and the activation voltage drive means being fed by the battery means during both the sleep mode and the active mode;
(g) said activation voltage drive means being enabled during the sleep mode by operation of an activation switch connected to that remote unit so as to apply an activation voltage, different from said operation voltage, to that data line;
(h) said power supply control means being enabled responsive to the activation voltage so as to turn on the power supply means; and
(i) said activation voltage drive means being then disabled responsive to the operation voltage consequently applied at the start of the active mode.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A battery (+V) operable information handling and control system, for example for an automotive vehicle electrical system, has a central unit (10) and a number of remote units (20) each connected to the central unit (10) by a respective signalling link (40). The central unit (10) includes processing and control circuitry (13) and power supply circuitry (11) which are turned on to operate the processing and control circuitry (13) in an active mode of the system and are turned off in a sleep mode of the system. During the active mode the processing and control circuitry (13) applies a clock pulse voltage to a data line (41) in each signalling link (40). One of the clock pulse lines (41) is connected to power supply control circuitry (12) in the central unit (10) and to activation voltage drive circuitry (80) in the respective remote unit (20). When the system is in the sleep mode the activation voltage drive circuitry (80) can be enabled by operation of a activation switch (60, 61) connected to that remote unit (20) so as to apply to that clock pulse line (41) an activation voltage, substantially the battery +V voltage (12 volts) and lower than the clock pulse voltage (30 volts). The power supply control circuitry (12) is enabled by the activation voltage so as to turn on the power supply circuitry (11) and the activation voltage drive circuitry (80) is then disabled responsive to the clock pulse voltage consequently applied at the start of the active mode.
36 Citations
9 Claims
-
1. An information handling and control system, comprising:
-
(a) a central unit and a plurality of remote units each connected to the central unit by a respective signalling link; (b) battery means for operating the system when connected to the central unit and to at least some of the remote units; (c) said central unit including processing and control means and power supply means, the latter being turned on to operate the processing and control means in an active mode of the system and being turned off in a sleep mode of the system; (d) said processing and control means being operative for applying, during said active mode, an operation voltage in pulse form to a data line in each signalling line; (e) one of said data lines being connected to power supply control means in the central unit and to activation voltage drive means in the respective remote unit; (f) said power supply control means and the activation voltage drive means being fed by the battery means during both the sleep mode and the active mode; (g) said activation voltage drive means being enabled during the sleep mode by operation of an activation switch connected to that remote unit so as to apply an activation voltage, different from said operation voltage, to that data line; (h) said power supply control means being enabled responsive to the activation voltage so as to turn on the power supply means; and (i) said activation voltage drive means being then disabled responsive to the operation voltage consequently applied at the start of the active mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9)
-
-
8. An information handling and control system, comprising:
-
(a) a central unit and a plurality of remote units each connected to the central unit by a respective signalling link; (b) battery means for operating the system when connected to the central unit and to at least some of the remote units; (c) said central unit including processing and control means and power supply means, the latter being turned on to operate the processing and control means in an active mode of the system and being turned off in a sleep mode of the system; (d) said processing and control means being operative for applying, during said active mode, an operation voltage in pulse form to a data line in each signalling link; (e) one of said data lines being connected to power supply control means in the central unit and to activation voltage drive means in the respective remote unit; (f) said power supply control means and the activation voltage drive means being fed by the battery means during both the sleep mode and the active mode; (g) said activation voltage drive means being enabled during the sleep mode by operation of an activation switch connected to that remote unit so as to apply an activation voltage, different from said operation voltage, to that data line; (h) said power supply control means being enabled responsive to the activation voltage so as to turn on the power supply means; (i) said activation voltage drive means being then disabled responsive to the operation voltage consequently applied at the start of the active mode; (j) at least some of the remote units, having said battery means connected thereto, having loads connected to them, and at least some of the remote units having function switches connected to them, said loads being indirectly operable by said function switches via the processing and control means in the central unit; (k) said data line in each said signalling link being a clock pulse line with said operation voltage in pulse form constituting clock pulses; (l) each said signalling link also including a signal line which is connected to a corresponding one of a plurality of demultiplexer channels in the respective remote unit in an assigned time slot under control of said clock pulses; (m) each of said loads and said function switches being connected to a respective said demultiplexer channel; (n) said activation switch being one of said function switches; and (o) said system in the active mode being responsive to operation of the combined activation-function switch, the operated function condition of said combined activation-function switch being then detected by the processing and control means via the respective signal line.
-
Specification