Bus auto-addressing system

• US 9,785,590 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2014
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxcess Americas Inc. (Maxcess International Holding Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Brady Johnson, Daniel E. Tooke, Darcy Winter, M Haque, Wolfram Ploetz
• Inventors: Winter, Darcy, Haque, Md M., Ploetz, Wolfram, Johnson, Brady, Tooke, Daniel E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sun, Scott
• Application Number:
  US14/179,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20150227482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/372 using a time-dependent priority, e.g. individually loaded time counters or time slot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4234 being a memory bus

Abstract

The invention pertains to automatically addressing devices on a network. The controller tests each address from a list of available addresses. If the control device receives a response the corresponding address is eliminated from the list of available addresses. The control device sends an arming signal which is received by all participating devices. The devices prepare for a triggering signal. When the trigger signal is received each device waits a random amount of time. During this time each device looks for communication on the bus, if communication is detected the device quits timing and remains unaddressed, if not it sends a signal to the control device to accept the address.

Claims

1. A method of automatic addressing on a network having a controller, a predetermined list of addresses, and a plurality of devices each device having a unique identifier comprising:

i) said controller preparing for automatic addressing;

ii) said controller sending an arming communication to each device;

iii) each device without an address, establishing a random response time which is less than or equal to a maximum response time after receiving said arming communication;

iv) said controller sending a trigger communication to said plurality of devices without an address, causing each said device without an address to apply said random response time;

v) each said device without an address responding to said trigger communication by determining said random response time has expired and no other device without an address has responded and sending a first response communication which includes the devices'"'"' unique identifier thus becoming the first responding device;

vi) each device without an address determining if any device has responded and if so discontinuing said waiting and remaining unaddressed and returning to a state for receiving an additional arming communication;

vii) the controller assigning an address from said predetermined list of addresses to the device that sends said first response signal and removing said address from said predetermined list of addresses; and

viii) repeating steps ii thru vii until no devices respond to a triggering communication within said maximum response time.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each device uses a timer to wait said random response time.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing a random response time for each plurality of devices is determined by a random number generator seeded with said devices'"'"' unique identifier.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said devices'"'"' unique identifier is of character based protocol.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said assigning an address comprises:

i) said controller sending a second communication which includes said address and said first responding devices'"'"' unique identifier;

ii) said responding device saving said address in said device memory and sending said address and said device unique identifier to said controller; and

iii) said controller saving said address and said devices'"'"' unique identifier in the controller memory.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein preparing each device for automatic addressing includes;

i) erasing addresses from all devices;

ii) selecting an address from a list of available addresses;

iii) sending a communication including said address with a request for a response on said bus connection;

iv) receiving a response to said request via said bus connection;

v) removing said address from said list of available addresses;

vi) repeating steps ii) thru v) until no responses are received.