System and Method of Double Address Detection

• US 20080109563A1
• Filed: 11/03/2006
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Life Safety Distribution AG (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Scorfield, Steven L., Rebulla, Renato RR
• Granted Patent: US 7,617,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/3
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/003 Address allocation methods and details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/04 using a single signalling line, e.g. in a closed loop
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 26/003 replying the identity and the state of the sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5046 Resolving address allocation conflicts; Testing of addresses testing when self-assigning an address H04L61/5092

Abstract

A plurality of detectors can be evaluated to determine if more than one has been assigned the same address. Responsive thereto, such detectors could be identified for follow-up maintenance, or service.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a device address;

requesting a pre-assigned identification number of the device; and

responsive to the requesting, evaluating received results for the presence of a multiple assigned address.

2. A method as in claim 1 which includes establishing another device address.

3. A method as in claim 2 where establishing another device address includes incrementing an established address.

4. A method as in claim 3 which includes determining if responses from devices with addresses in a predetermined range have been evaluated.

5. A method as in claim 1 where evaluating includes at least one of determining that no device has responded, determining that a single device has responded, or determining that multiple devices have responded.

6. A method as in claim 5 where, responsive to a single device having responded, the received results are associated as the pre-assigned identification number of the device.

7. A method as in claim 6 which includes altering the established device address, and determining if the altered address is within a pre-established range.

8. A method as in claim 5 which includes storing a multiple device indication after determining that multiple devices have responded.

9. A method as in claim 8 which includes conducting additional evaluations to determine an identification number of another device having the same address.

10. An apparatus that evaluates addresses assigned to a plurality of devices comprising:

a programmable processor;

software which establishes an address to be evaluated;

software, executable by the processor, that issues a request for a device identification number to at least one device having the address assigned thereto;

software executable by the processor that evaluates a received identification number for the presence of multiple responses.

11. An apparatus as in claim 10 which includes additional software to alter the address to be evaluated.

12. An apparatus as in claim 11 that includes further software that determines if that altered address is one of an acceptable address.

13. An apparatus as in claim 12 where an address is altered by being incremented.

14. An apparatus as in claim 10 where a medium couples the processor to members of the plurality of devices.

15. An apparatus as in claim 14 where the processor issues commands, via the medium, to members of the plurality.

16. An apparatus as in claim 15 where the commands include at least, get an address using a serial number, get a serial number of a device using an address, and disabling an answer from a device having a specified serial number.

17. An apparatus as in claim 15 where the processor issues a command to a device, having a selected address, to provide its serial number.

18. An apparatus as in claim 17 where the processor evaluates a response from the device, and, if the response is not a no device present indicium, the processor issues a command, using the response as a serial number, to provide the associated address.

19. An apparatus as in claim 18 where the processor evaluates a received address relative to the selected address.

20. An apparatus as in claim 19 where the processor, responsive to an evaluation generates a multiple address indicium.