Bus master for a bus for connection of sensors and/or ignition means

• US 7,400,641 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2002
• Issued: 07/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG), Robert Bosch GmbH, Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG), Robert Bosch GmbH, Siemens AG
• Inventors: Nitschke, Werner, Mauritz, Ewald, Pfaffeneder, Bernd, Bogenrieder, Hans, Wulff, Hölger, Balzer, Knut, Meier, Klaus-Dieter, Buehring, Heiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Olsen; Lin B
• Application Number:
  US10/473,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20040148081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,301 Days
• Field of Search: 380/825.21, 380/825.25, 180/252
• US Class Current: 370/445
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01054 Bus
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01286 Electronic control units
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01 Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents electrical circuits for transmission of signals between steering wheel and the vehicle itself B60R16/027; for electrically actuating belt retractor locking means B60R22/343
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/423 with centralised control, e.g. polling

Abstract

A bus master for a bus for connection of sensors and/or an ignition means device, which has at least two bus driver arrangements allowing data to be received independently of one another. For this purpose a polling operation, specifically using a multiplexer or a demodulator associated through one of the particular bus driver arrangements, is used. Furthermore, a state machine is provided, which also alternatingly determines the system status on the basis of the measured quantities determined on the bus conductor for the particular bus driver arrangement. In a refinement, a particular bus driver may have a dedicated processor for system status determination.

Claims

1. A bus master for a bus conductor for connection of at least one of impact sensors and an ignition arrangement, comprising:

at least two bus driver arrangements, each including a respective bus driver, the at least two bus driver arrangements connectable to at least one of the impact sensors and the ignition arrangement via the bus conductor, wherein the at least two bus driver arrangements are able to receive data simultaneously with and independently of one another over the bus conductor to increase the bandwidth;

a first multiplexer connected downstream of the at least two bus driver arrangements configured to alternate supplying data received by the at least two bus driver arrangements via the bus to a demodulator; and

a processor having an upstream second multiplexer connected downstream of the at least two bus driver arrangements for alternatingly determining an instantaneous system status of the at least two bus driver arrangements as a function of quantities measured on the bus conductor.

2. The bus master as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a single demodulator associated with both of the at least two bus driver arrangements.

3. The bus master as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the at least two bus driver arrangements has dedicated to it a respective one of at least two demodulators.