Modem for communicating with enclosed electronic equipment
US5519527A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 29, 1993 |
| Grant date | May 21, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 29, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/4063
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A portable interface unit incorporates a modem for connecting a personal computer through a bidirectional communication link to enclosed process control equipment by passing radiation, preferably infra-red radiation, through a casing enclosing the unit. The computer has a bidirectional digital serial interface specified in accordance with an industry standard, and the modem has a complementary bidirectional digital serial interface, an optical modulator and an optical demodulator, and a power supply. The power supply can be a circuit to derive power from the serial interface of the personal computer, or from a battery. The portable interface unit provides a versatile bidirectional communications link which is particularly suitable for use in hazardous environments and with electronic equipment designed to be environmentally sealed or tamperproof, and permits general purpose computers to be used to program, diagnose, configure or interrogate such equipment.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.