System and method for interfacing devices

• US 8,248,984 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2008
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: I SQUARED LLC
• Original Assignee: I SQUARED LLC
• Inventors: Loubier, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Kenny
• Application Number:
  US12/141,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 712/208, 370/312, 709/250
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc

Abstract

A system in one embodiment includes (i) an interface module to control and monitor the system; a plurality of power cells which act as a point of power delivery and monitor environmental variables that effect function and reliability, (ii) a radio frequency transmitter and receiver to manage nodes distributed across the plurality of power cells, (iii) a maintenance module presenting information requests to be forwarded to the plurality of power cells, and (iv) a communication bus for distribution of data throughout the system.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a master cell;

a delegate cell;

an input device inputting to the master cell;

the master cell configured and arranged to buffer a state of the input device and output an encoded message to the delegate cell;

a processor of the master cell that evaluates the state of the input device, and compares a current state of the input device to a previous state of the input device to validate a state change, the input device state stored in an a processor array; and

wherein

the input device state stored in the processor array is used via the encoded message to the delegate cell by a delegate processor of the delegate cell to decode and associate the validated state change with at least one predefined function.

2. The system of claim 1, the processor programmed to perform the comparison on a bit by bit bases basis.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device is a radio frequency input device or an input circuit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the decoding and associating includes:

selecting at least one element from an array pool; and

assembling the at least one selected element as a data packet.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising

a communication data bus that receives the data packet, and wherein the delegate processor:

decodes a cell address in the data packet to determine if the cell address matches a destination cell address of the delegate cell, and

if the cell address in the data packet matches the delegate cell address, disassembles and decodes the data packet, and

temporarily stores the decoded packet.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the buffering is performed via a packet buffer array used by the delegate processor to manage the output from the master cell to the delegate cell.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one predefined function is stored by the delegate cell.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the decoding and associating is performed from one of:

a single input to multiple functions, multiple inputs to a single function, a single input to a single function and multiple inputs to multiple functions.

9. A method for interfacing devices comprising:

providing a master cell including a master cell processor and a delegate cell including a separate, delegate cell processor;

producing an output from the master cell to the delegate cell;

buffering at the delegate cell a state of an input to the master cell derived from the output;

enabling a decoder based on the state of the input device;

comparing a current state of the input device to a previous state of the input device to validate a state change using the master cell processor; and

decoding and associating the validated state change using the delegate cell processor.

10. The method of claim 9, which includes performing the comparison on a bit by bit basis.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein enabling the decoder, the comparing and the decoding occur at the delegate cell.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein decoding and associating the validated state change includes using at least one predefined function.

13. The method of claim 9, which includes decoding and associating from one of a single input to multiple functions, multiple inputs to a single function, a single input to a single function and multiple inputs to multiple functions.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the decoding and associating includes:

selecting at least one element from an array pool; and

assembling the at least one selected element as a data packet.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising a communication data bus that receives the data packet, and which further includes:

decoding a cell address in the data packet to determine if the cell address matches a destination cell address, and

if the cell address in the data packet matches the destination cell address, disassembling and decoding the data packet, and

temporarily storing the decoded packet.

16. The method of claim 9, which includes programming the master cell remotely.

17. The method of claim 9, which includes outputting from the master cell to a second delegate cell and enabling, comparing and decoding at the second delegate cell for a second input to the master cell.

18. The method of claim 9, which includes producing the output upon activation of the input device.

19. The method of claim 18, which includes storing the input device state as part of an array.