Embedded electronics building blocks for user-configurable monitor/control networks
First Claim
1. A stand-alone module for use in a user-configurable monitor/control network, wherein said module performs a pre-defined function, the module comprising:
- an interface component that performs a pre-defined function;
a processor component that interfaces with the interface component, implements local computation, and maintains local state information wherein the processor component executes a uni-directional packet-based communication protocol for communication with other modules when the module is configured in a network of one or more other stand-alone modules; and
a power source component configured to supply power to the interface component and the processor component.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Stand-alone modules or blocks for use in creating low-power sensor-based monitor/control systems. Each module performs a pre-defined function, and when included in a monitor/control network operates as a node on the network and automatically communicates with one or more connected nodes using a uni-directional packet-based protocol. One class of such predefined nodes communicates Boolean values, for example, with input sensor nodes detecting the presence or absence of environmental phenomena (e.g., motion, light, sound, water, button presses, etc.), intermediate nodes transforming those Boolean values using combinational or sequential logic, and output nodes converting the resulting Boolean values to environmental phenomena (e.g., beeping, light, electric relay activation, etc.) or to data for further processing by a computer. Another class of nodes communicates integer or number values.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A stand-alone module for use in a user-configurable monitor/control network, wherein said module performs a pre-defined function, the module comprising:
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an interface component that performs a pre-defined function; a processor component that interfaces with the interface component, implements local computation, and maintains local state information wherein the processor component executes a uni-directional packet-based communication protocol for communication with other modules when the module is configured in a network of one or more other stand-alone modules; and a power source component configured to supply power to the interface component and the processor component. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A user-configurable monitor/control system comprising at least two stand-alone modules, each module comprising:
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an interface component that performs a pre-defined function; a processor component that interfaces with the interface component, implements local computation, and maintains local state information wherein the processor component executes a uni-directional packet-based communication protocol for communication with other modules when the module is configured in a network of one or more other stand-alone modules; and a power source component configured to supply power to the interface component and the processor component; wherein the interface component of a first one of the modules includes a sensor element that detects the presence or absence of an event or an environmental condition and that is configured to generate a signal indicative of the condition or event, and wherein the processor component of the first module, in response to receiving a signal from the interface component, sends a packet to a second one of said modules, said packet including one of a Boolean value and an integer value indicative of the detected event or environmental condition.
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23. A set of embedded electronics blocks for a user-configurable monitor network, the set of electronic blocks comprising:
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a sensor block having a sensor, a processor, and a uni-directional interface, the sensor enabled to generate a signal, the processor enabled to send a packet through the uni-directional interface in response to the generated signal; a compute block having a first uni-directional interface operatively coupled to the sensor block uni-directional interface, a logic circuit enabled to perform predefined compute functions on packets received from the sensor block and to generate and send output packets through a second uni-directional interface; a splitter block having a first, second, and third uni-directional interface operatively coupled to a processor, the splitter block processor enabled to duplicate packets received from the first uni-directional interface to both the second and third uni-directional interfaces; a first output block having a uni-directional interface and an output generator, the output generator configured to generate a physical output in response to packets from the splitter block second uni-directional interface; and a second output block having a uni-directional interface and an output generator, the output generator of the second output block configured to generate a physical output in response to packets from the splitter block third uni-directional interface.
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24. A set of embedded electronics blocks for a user-configurable monitor network, the set of electronic blocks comprising:
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a first sensor block having a sensor, a processor, and a uni-directional interface, the sensor enabled to generate a signal, the processor enabled to send a packet through the uni-directional interface in response to the generated signal; a second sensor block having a sensor, a processor, and a uni-directional interface, the second sensor block sensor enabled to generate a signal, the second sensor block processor enabled to send a packet through the second sensor block uni-directional interface in response to the second sensor block generated signal; a compute block having a first uni-directional interface operatively coupled to the first sensor block uni-directional interface, a second uni-directional interface operatively coupled to the second sensor block uni-directional interface, a logic circuit enabled to perform predefined compute functions on packets received from the first and second sensor blocks and to generate and send an output through a third uni-directional interface; and an output block having a uni-directional interface and an output generator, the output generator configured to generate a physical output in response to the output from the compute block.
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Specification