Smoke and fire detection system communication
First Claim
1. A circuit for providing an information carrying signal to a line comprising:
- means for providing an electrical signal to the line with a selected parameter representative of the information having a first value for a first predetermined period of time; and
means, coupled to said providing means, for reducing said selected parameter of said signal to a second value still representative of the information, less than said first value, for a second predetermined period of time.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A smoke and fire detection system wherein a central controller transmits data to remote transponders on a voltage supply line by pulse code modulation (PCM) of the supply voltage, and the transponders communicate with the controller by pulse width modulated (PWM) current pulses over the voltage supply line. A transmitter in the controller supplies a nominal operating voltage to the transponders and transmits a data word comprising a plurality of data bits to the transponders over the line. The transmitter generates each data bit by switching the voltage supplied to the line from the nominal operating voltage to a first voltage corresponding to a first logical level or a second voltage corresponding to a second logical level. A decoder in each transponder derives the transmitted data word. The decoder detects each data bit by detecting the transition from the nominal voltage to the first or second voltage, and the decoder determines the logical level of each bit by measuring the transmitted voltage level immediately after detecting the transition. The transponder returns data to the controller in the form of data signals, each data signal having a duration based on the data to be returned. With such arrangement, the transponders do not require a clock or other timing circuitry to communicate with the controller. Also, the controller may vary the data rate or bit duration without interfering with the operation of the transponders.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A circuit for providing an information carrying signal to a line comprising:
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means for providing an electrical signal to the line with a selected parameter representative of the information having a first value for a first predetermined period of time; and means, coupled to said providing means, for reducing said selected parameter of said signal to a second value still representative of the information, less than said first value, for a second predetermined period of time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A circuit for reliably receiving an information carrying signal from a line in the presence of a noise transient on the line comprising:
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means, couplable to the line, for detecting a signal on he line; and means, coupled to said detecting means, for maintaining a selected signal parameter at a substantially constant value in the presence of extraneous transient signals, said means including means for increasing a selected noise minimizing current drawn from the line. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of reliably sending information along a noisy communication lien from a sending end to a receiving end comprising:
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generating at the sending end an electrical signal having a first electrical value for a first time period and a second, electrical value, less than said first value, for a second time period with both electrical values representative of the information; sensing at the receiving end a received electrical signal corresponding to the generated signal; and processing the received signal and responsive thereto producing an output electrical signal having duration substantially equal to the sum of the first time interval plus the second time interval.
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11. An apparatus for reliably transmitting pulse width modulated electrical signals from a sending end to a receiving end of a transmission line comprising:
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a transmitter, couplable to the sending end, said transmitter including circuitry for generating a first electrical signal having a first value for a first period of time and a second electrical signal having a second value for a second period of time; and a receiver, couplable to the receiving end, said receiver including circuitry for ensuing said first and said second electrical signals and for generating a pulse width modulated output electrical signal having an output vale for a period of time substantially corresponding to the sum of said fist and said second periods of time.
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Specification