Communication system

• US 5,353,009 A
• Filed: 07/07/1993
• Issued: 10/04/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CSIR
• Original Assignee: CSIR
• Inventors: Hodson, Trevor M., Marsh, Michael J. C., Atkins, Raymond C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Application Number:
  US08/087,123
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 340/505, 340/517, 340/518, 340/825.06
• US Class Current: 340/505
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/10 with provision for switching-in of additional or auxiliary indicators or recorders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0676 the address being position dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40013 Details regarding a bus controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling

Abstract

A communication system comprises a control station and a number of remote stations connected to the control station by a multi-conductor harness. The control station houses a computer and supplies the remote stations with electrical power, as well as communicating bidirectionally with the remote stations, via the harness. At each remote station, a sensor or other functional module is plugged into an interface. Communication circuitry receives data from and sends data to the control station. The remote station includes an identification device for storing a first code allocated to the remote station by the central computer which identifies the relative location of the remote station, as well as a second code generated at the remote station which identifies the function of the sensor or other functional module.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising a control station and a plurality of modular remote stations connected to the control station by a multi-conductor harness, the control station supplying the remote stations with electrical power and communicating bidirectionally with the remote stations via the harness and further being adapted to allocate address codes selectively to the remote stations and to store composite identification codes identifying both a location of each remote station and a function of sensors installed at each remote station;

each remote station comprising;

a functional module, selected from a plurality of different types of functional modules, the functional module including a sensor and a memory element which stores a sensor code indicating the function of the sensor;

communication means comprising communication circuitry for receiving data from and sending data to the control station; and

an interface module arranged to function with any of said plurality of different types of functional module and removably connected by plug-in connector means to said functional module, the interface module supplying electrical power to the functional module, transferring data from the functional module to the communication means, and including identification means for retrieving the sensor code from said memory element of the functional module and for generating a composite identification code derived from the sensor code and from an address code allocated to the remote station by the control station and transmitted to the remote station via the harness, and data storage means for storing the composite identification code, so that each remote station is effectively identified both by a remotely allocated address code and a sensor code indicating the function of the sensor of the functional module installed at that remote station.

2. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein the identification means includes processor means for generating the composite identification code from the allocated address code and the sensor code, for recording the composite code in the data storage means and for retrieving the composite code from the data storage means, the communication circuitry being adapted to send and receive the composite identification code and other data to and from the control station.

3. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein the harness includes a signal line controlled by switch means at each remote station, the communication circuitry of each remote station being adapted to operate the switch means to allow selective isolation of the remote stations from the control station, thereby to allow transmission of respective address codes from the control station to each remote station successively.

4. A communication system according to claim 3 wherein the communication circuitry of each remote station comprises means for monitoring the signal line during a transmission from said each remote station to detect data transmission by other remote stations, and for repeating a transmission from said each remote station if data transmission from another remote station is detected during said transmission from said each remote station.

5. A communication system according to claim 4 wherein the communication circuitry is adapted to repeat the transmission after a delay related to the address code or the sensor code.

6. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of data concentrators are provided, each data concentrator being connected to a portion of the harness and communicating with remote stations on that portion of the harness and with the control station.

7. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein the harness includes at least one spur branching off a main harness route, the remote stations on said at least one spur being allocated a secondary address code identifying said at least one spur.

8. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of software modules are stored by a central control station, each software module corresponding to a respective sensor code and being utilized to process data from functional modules at remote stations which correspond to the respective sensor code.

9. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein the central control station is adapted to generate a map indicating the location and function of each remote station from data transmitted to the central control station by the remote stations.

10. A communication system according to claim 9 wherein the central control station is adapted to record successive address codes associated with any sensor code, thereby to maintain a record of data transmitted from each functional module while installed at a particular remote station, even after removal of the functional module to another remote station.

11. A communication system according to claim 9 wherein the central control station is adapted to monitor changes in the address code of a remote station due to removal or insertion of functional modules at other remote stations between the remote station and the central control station, and to associate a new address code of the remote station with its previous address code, to ensure continuity of data transmitted between the remote station and the central control station.

12. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein the sensor code stored in the memory element of the functional module includes a first component indicating the function of the sensor of the functional module, and a second component uniquely identifying the particular functional module.

13. The communication system according to claim 12 wherein said first and second components comprise hard-wired bit codes.

14. A communication system comprising a control station and a plurality of modular remote stations connected to the control station by a multi-conductor harness, the control station supplying the remote stations with electrical power and communicating bidirectionally with the remote stations via the harness and further being adapted to allocate address codes selectively to the remote stations by generating and transmitting respective address codes thereto via the harness, and to store composite identification codes identifying both the location of each remote station and the function of sensors installed at each remote station;

each remote station comprising;

a functional module, selected from a plurality of different types of functional modules, the functional module including a sensor and a memory element for storing a sensor code indicating the function of the sensor;

communication means comprising communication circuitry for receiving data from and sending data to the control station; and

an interface module identical to the interface modules of other remote stations, arranged to function with any of said plurality of different types of functional module and removably connected by plug-in connector means to said functional module, the interface module including power supply means for supplying electrical power to the functional module, data transfer means for reading data from the functional module and for transferring the data read from the functional module to the communication means, identification means for generating a composite identification code derived from the sensor code and from the address code allocated to the remote station by the control station and transmitted to the remote station via the harness, and data storage means for storing the composite identification code, so that each remote station is effectively identified both by a remotely generated address code allocated thereto and a sensor code indicating the function of the sensor of the functional module installed at that remote station.