Communications adapter for converting wire-based communication to wireless communication

• US 5,387,994 A
• Filed: 02/14/1994
• Issued: 02/07/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Thermo King Corporation (Trane Technologies plc)
• Inventors: Woodgate, Kent C., McCormack, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chilcot, Jr., Richard E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NEGASH, KINFE MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US08/195,496
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: 359/159, 359/163, 359/172, 359/175, 359/176, 375/3-4, 340/825.72, 340/854.7, 455/11.1, 455/12.1, 364/712-713, 439/628
• US Class Current: 398/117
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission

Abstract

A communications adapter for converting a socket connector of communications apparatus from wire-based communication to wireless communication, with the socket connector having transmit and receive contacts, and a control contact which enables the socket connector only when a predetermined logic level is applied thereto. The communications adapter includes a plug connector having transmit, receive and control pins arranged to respectively engage the transmit, receive and control contacts of the socket connector, a light emitting diode, a timer having a trigger input and an output, and a photo detector. The light emitting diode and photo detector are respectively connected to the transmit and receive pins which engage the transmit and receive contacts of the socket connector, and the output of the timer is connected to the control pin of the plug connector which engages the control contact of the socket connector. The photo detector is additionally connected to the trigger input of the timer. The timer provides a timed output signal at the timer output having the first predetermined logic level only in response to a predetermined signal applied to the trigger input by the photo detector. An input signal applied to the photo detector causes the photo detector to trigger the timer, enabling communications via the socket connector for the duration of the timed output signal.

Claims

1. A communications adapter for converting a socket connector of communications apparatus from wire-based communication to wireless communication, with the socket connector having transmit and receive contacts, and a control contact which enables the socket connector only when a first predetermined logic level is applied thereto, comprising:

a plug connector, light emitting diode means, timer means, and photo detector means,

said plug connector having transmit, receive and control pins arranged to respectively engage the transmit, receive and control contacts of the socket connector,

said light emitting diode means being connected to the transmit pin of said plug connector,

said timer means having a trigger input and an output, with said timer output being connected to the control pin of said plug connector,

said timer means providing a timed output signal at the timer output having said first predetermined logic level in response to a signal applied to the trigger input, and otherwise providing a signal having a second logic level,

said photo detector means having an output connected to the trigger input of said timer means and also to the receive pin of said plug connector,

wherein an input signal applied to said photo detector means triggers the timer means, enabling communications via the socket connector for the duration of the timed output signal.

2. The communications adapter of claim 1 including logic level translation means, said logic level translation means being connected between the transmit pin of the plug connector and the light emitting diode means, and between the photo detector means and the receive pin of the plug connector.

3. The communications adapter of claim 1 wherein the photo detector means includes photo Schmitt detector means and inverter means, with said inverter means inverting the output of said photo Schmitt detector means.

4. The communications adapter of claim 1 wherein the light emitting diode means emits radiant energy in the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

5. The communications adapter of claim 1 including delay means connected between the output of the photo detector means and the receive pin of the plug connector means, whereby the timer means is triggered by an output signal from the photo detector means before the output signal is applied to the receive pin of the plug connector, enabling the socket connector for communications before data is applied to the socket connector by the communications apparatus.

6. The communications adapter of claim 1 wherein the communications apparatus includes power supply means connected to power supply contacts of the socket connector, and wherein the plug connector includes power supply pins which respectively engage the power supply contacts of the socket connector, whereby the communications apparatus provides power for predetermined power consuming devices of the communications adapter.

7. The communications adapter of claim 6 including power level translation means connected between the power supply pins of the plug connector and the predetermined power consuming devices of the communications adapter.

8. A communications adapter for connection to a socket connector associated with a first communication port of data logger means having first and second alternatively selectable communication ports, for converting the socket connector from wire-based communication to wireless communication, with the data logger means having multiplexer means which includes a data input, first and second data outputs respectively connected to a first contact of the socket connector and-to the second communication port, a signal input connected to a second contact of the socket connector, and a select input connected to a third contact of the socket connector, with the select input having a default logic level which connects the data input of the multiplexer means to the second data output, comprising:

a plug connector which includes first, second and third pins which respectively engage the first, second and third contacts of the socket connector,

light emitting diode means connected to the first pin of the plug connector,

timer means having an output connected to the third pin of said plug connector, and a trigger input, with said timer means providing a predetermined timed output signal at the timer output in response to a predetermined signal applied to the trigger input,

and photo detector means having an output connected to the trigger input of said timer means and to the second pin of said plug connector,

wherein said photo detector means triggers the timer means in response to an input signal applied to the photo detector means, with the timed output signal of said timer means providing a signal for the select input of the multiplexer means which causes the data input of the multiplexer means to be connected to the first data output of the multiplexer means for the duration of the timed output signal.

9. The communications adapter of claim 8 including logic level translation means, said logic level translation means being connected between the first pin of the plug connector and the light emitting diode means, and between the photo detector means and the second pin of the plug connector.

10. The communications adapter of claim 8 wherein the photo detector means includes photo Schmitt detector means and inverter means, with said inverter means inverting the output of said photo Schmitt detector means.

11. The communications adapter of claim 8 wherein the light emitting diode means emits radiant energy in the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

12. The communications adapter of claim 8 including delay means connected between the output of the photo detector means and the second pin of the plug connector means, whereby the timer means is triggered by an output signal from the photo detector means before the output signal is applied to the second pin of the plug connector, enabling the data input of the multiplexer means to be connected to the first data output of the multiplexer means before data is applied to the second pin of the plug connector means in response to the signal from the photo detector means.

13. The communications adapter of claim 8 wherein the data logger means includes power supply means connected to fourth and fifth contacts of the socket connector, and wherein the plug connector includes fourth and fifth pins which respectively engage the fourth and fifth contacts of the socket connector, whereby said fourth and fifth pins of the plug connector provide power for predetermined power consuming devices of the communications adapter.

14. The communications adapter of claim 13 including power level translation means connected between the fourth and fifth pins of the plug connector and the predetermined power consuming devices of the communications adapter.