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Synchronous serial communication network for controlling single point I/O devices

  • US 5,802,321 A
  • Filed: 06/20/1996
  • Issued: 09/01/1998
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1996
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A control system for transferring data between devices connected on a synchronous serial communications network comprising:

  • (A) a first microprocessor based device having a data bus, a central processing unit (CPU) coupled to said data bus, a transmitter module coupled to said data bus and to said network, and a receiver module coupled to said data bus and to said network;

    (B) a plurality of second devices consisting of remote input/output repeater (IOR) modules connected in series on said network, each of said plurality of IOR modules having a serial input for receiving a of said plurality of IOR modules having a serial input for receiving a data packet from a preceding device on said network, said preceding device being either said transmitter module or one of said plurality of IOR modules, a serial output for sending a modified data packet to a succeeding device on said network, said succeeding device being either said receiver module or one of said plurality of IOR modules having a serial input for receiving a data packet from a preceding device on said network, said preceding device being either said transmitter module or one of said plurality of IOR modules, an input terminal for connecting an input device, and an output terminal for connecting an output device;

    (C) wherein said CPU executes a program, said program for controlling a plurality of output devices connected to said plurality of IOR modules by generating a plurality of output bytes in sequence, each of said output bytes respective for each of said plurality of IOR modules, and by coupling said output bytes over said data bus to said transmitter module for inclusion in said data packet without unique addressing of said output bytes, and wherein said transmitter module precedes a first of said plurality of IOR modules connected in series on said network and sends said data packet to said first IOR module;

    (D) wherein each of said plurality of IOR modules extracts its respective output byte from said received data packet, said output byte for controlling energization and deenergization of an output device coupled to said output terminal, modifies said data packet by inserting an input byte representing a status of an input device coupled to said input terminal into said data packet, and sends said modified data packet to said succeeding device connected in series on said network;

    (E) wherein said receiver module succeeds a last of said plurality of IOR modules connected in series on said network, and said last IOR module sends said modified data packet to said receiver module, said modified data packet containing said input bytes representing the state of each input device connected to said plurality of IOR modules; and

    (F) wherein said receiver module extracts each of said input bytes from said modified data packet and sends said input bytes representing said status of each input device connected to said plurality of IOR modules and sends said input bytes over said data bus to said CPU for use in execution of said program for controlling said output devices.

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