Network communications circuit, system and method
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising a master circuit and a plurality of slave circuits communicatively coupled in a cascaded arrangement via a current-carrying bus, each of the slave circuits including circuitry having a switch that includes a transistor having current passing terminals and that is configured and arranged to, in response to a control signal received over the bus, interrupt and thereby block current and data conveyed on the current-carrying bus from passing to another one of the slave circuits that is immediately adjacent in the cascaded arrangement, wherein the circuitry is configured and arranged to control the current through the terminals based on a bias signal operating in the circuitry and affecting a current passing operation of the transistor, wherein the switch includes a gate and a source and an impedance circuit is connected between the gate and the source.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Various exemplary aspects are directed to apparatuses and methods involving switches communicatively-coupled on a bus where one or more of the switches operate to block signals from passing through the switch in a first mode, and to pass signals through the switch in a second mode. A logic circuit is responsive to addressing information received in the first mode, by storing and configuring the apparatus with the address information. The logic circuit ignores address information received in the second mode (e.g., does not reconfigure the apparatus with address information received in the second mode).
25 Citations
20 Claims
- 1. An apparatus comprising a master circuit and a plurality of slave circuits communicatively coupled in a cascaded arrangement via a current-carrying bus, each of the slave circuits including circuitry having a switch that includes a transistor having current passing terminals and that is configured and arranged to, in response to a control signal received over the bus, interrupt and thereby block current and data conveyed on the current-carrying bus from passing to another one of the slave circuits that is immediately adjacent in the cascaded arrangement, wherein the circuitry is configured and arranged to control the current through the terminals based on a bias signal operating in the circuitry and affecting a current passing operation of the transistor, wherein the switch includes a gate and a source and an impedance circuit is connected between the gate and the source.
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6. An apparatus comprising:
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circuitry having a switch with terminals including a gate and a source and a drain; a control circuit connected to the gate and configured and arranged to apply a bias to the gate to control a conductance state of the switch by, in response to a control signal presented at the source, in a first mode, controlling the switch in an open state to block signals from passing through the switch, and in a second mode, controlling the switch in a closed state to pass signals through the switch; and a logic circuit configured and arranged to respond to address information received in a signal presented at the source by, in the first mode, storing the address information to configure the apparatus with the address and, in the second mode, ignoring address information in signals presented at the source, wherein the circuitry is configured and arranged to control the current through the terminals based on a bias signal operating in the circuitry and affecting a current passing operation of the switch, wherein an impedance circuit is connected between the gate and the source. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus comprising:
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a switch having a gate, a source and a drain; a control circuit connected to the gate and configured and arranged to apply a bias to the gate to control a conductance state of the switch by, in response to a control signal presented at the source, in a first mode, controlling the switch in an open state to block signals from passing through the switch, and in a second mode, controlling the switch in a closed state to pass signals through the switch; a logic circuit configured and arranged to respond to address information received in a signal presented at the source by, in the first mode, storing the address information to configure the apparatus with the address and, in the second mode, ignoring address information in signals presented at the source; and an impedance circuit connected between the gate and the source, wherein the control circuit is connected to the gate and the impedance circuit, and the control circuit is configured and arranged to control the switch in the open state by flowing a bias current of a first polarity through the impedance circuit, and control the switch in the closed state by flowing a bias current of opposite polarity through the impedance circuit. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A communication apparatus comprising:
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a master circuit that includes a transistor having current passing terminals, at a master node, configured and arranged to communicate a configuration signal and an address signal on a communications bus; and a plurality of slave circuits at slave nodes on the bus, each slave circuit having a switch that couples the slave circuit to an immediately adjacent slave circuit on the bus, and each slave circuit being configured and arranged to respond to the configuration signal by, in a first mode, controlling the switch in an open state to block the address signal from passing to the immediately adjacent slave circuit on the bus, storing address information from the address signal, and switching to a second mode after storing the address information, and in the second mode, controlling the switch in a closed state to pass the address signal to the immediately adjacent slave circuit on the bus, wherein the circuitry is configured and arranged to control the current through the terminals based on a bias signal operating in the circuitry and affecting a current passing operation of the transistor, wherein the switch includes a gate and a source and an impedance circuit connected between the gate and the source. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. A method for assigning addresses to a plurality of slave circuits connected to each other and to a master circuit in a cascaded arrangement on a bus that includes a transistor having current passing terminals, the method comprising:
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communicating, from the master circuit, a first signal; at each slave circuit receiving the first signal, opening a switch to block further communications from passing from the master circuit, through the slave circuit and to another immediately adjacent slave circuit on the bus; communicating, from the master circuit, a second signal including address assignment data; and at one of the slave circuits, in response to receiving the address assignment data, storing data indicative of an address in the address assignment data, and closing a switch to pass communications from the master circuit to an immediately adjacent slave circuit on the bus, wherein the circuitry is configured and arranged to control the current through the terminals based on a bias signal operating in the circuitry and affecting a current passing operation of the transistor, wherein the switch includes a gate and a source and an impedance circuit connected between the gate and the source. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification