Patent · US Expired

Device and method for continuously polling for communication bus type and termination

US5978861A · kind A · utility

4Cited by
29References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 30, 1997
Grant dateNov 2, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 30, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F13/4086
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for repeatedly monitoring the communication bus type and concurrently monitoring to determine if termination of the communication bus is necessary. The method comprises the steps of initializing several communication lines to logical high; determining based on the value of the input lines whether the communication bus is a parallel bus or SCSI bus; if the bus is SCSI bus, sending a low signal followed by a high signal across the output of one of the communication lines; sensing whether the communication line follows the biasing; if the output communication line follows the biasing, terminating the communication bus; if the output communication line does not follow the biasing, not terminating the communication bus. The apparatus comprises eight communication lines of the communication bus and a microprocessor electrically connected to the communication bus for stimulating and monitoring the eight communication lines in accordance with the above method.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.