Microcontroller for controlling an actuator

• US 7,902,966 B1
• Filed: 06/18/2007
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Beitelmal, Abdlmonem H., Mack, Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US11/764,410
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• Field of Search: 700/13, 700/20, 700/22, 700/276, 700/277, 700/291, 700/297, 700/298, 700/299, 700/300, 700/302, 702/188, 713/300, 713/340, 236/49.3, 307/31, 340/310.11, 340/606, 340/635, 340/657, 340/660, 340/686.1, 340/686.6, 454/239
• US Class Current: 340/12.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A microcontroller for controlling an actuator includes a single wire controller configured to receive data and power from a base station through a single wire bus, where the single wire bus is part of a power and signal cable configured to connect the microcontroller to the base station. The microcontroller also includes a peripheral interface controller (PIC) microcontroller configured to transmit data signals to and receive data signals from the single wire controller, where the PIC microcontroller is configured to receive reduced voltage level from a power wire of the power and signal cable, to measure the voltage level and to communicate the measured voltage level to the base station through the single wire bus.

Claims

1. A microcontroller for controlling an actuator, said microcontroller comprising:

a single wire controller configured to receive data and power from a base station through a single wire bus, wherein the single wire bus is part of a power and signal cable configured to connect the microcontroller to the base station; and

a peripheral interface controller (PIC) microcontroller configured to transmit data signals to and receive data signals from the single wire controller, wherein the PIC microcontroller is configured to receive a reduced voltage from a power wire of the power and signal cable, to measure the voltage level and to communicate the measured voltage level to the base station through the single wire bus.

2. The microcontroller according to claim 1, wherein the PIC microcontroller comprises:

a communication unit configured to enable data signal communication with the single wire controller;

a PIC control finite state machine (FSM) configured to measure the received voltage; and

a PIC register file configured to store data received from the base station and the PIC control FSM.

3. The microcontroller according to claim 1, wherein the PIC microcontroller is configured to receive input from at least one sensor configured to detect the rotational position of a movable component.

4. The microcontroller according to claim 3, wherein the actuator is configured to vary the rotational position of the movable component and wherein the PIC microcontroller is further configured to control the actuator to vary the rotational position of the movable component to a desired position based upon the detected rotational position of the movable component.

5. The microcontroller according to claim 1, wherein the power and signal cable comprises at least six wires, one of said six wires comprising the single wire bus, a second one of the six wires providing positional power to the PIC microcontroller, a third one of the six wires providing power to the microcontroller and the PIC microcontroller, and at least one of the three remaining wires grounding the first, second and third wires.

6. The microcontroller according to claim 5, further comprising:

an input for receiving the second one of the six wires into the PIC microcontroller;

an output for outputting the second one of the six wires from the PIC microcontroller; and

a voltage reducer, wherein the voltage reducer is positioned along the second one of the six wires, to thereby reduce a voltage level supplied into the PIC microcontroller through the input.

7. The microcontroller according to claim 6, wherein the voltage reducer comprises at least one resistor positioned along the second one of the wires between the input and the output.

8. The microcontroller according to claim 6, wherein the voltage reducer comprises a two serially arranged resistors positioned along the second one of the wires between the input and the output, and wherein the PIC microcontroller is configured to receive power along a wire from a junction point between the two serially arranged resistors.

9. The microcontroller according to claim 8, wherein the voltage reducer further comprises a third resistor positioned in parallel with the two serially arranged resistors along the wire from the junction point to the PIC microcontroller.