Deterministic serial bus communication system
US6111888A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 27, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 29, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 27, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L2012/40215
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus and method for deterministically communicating data between multiple nodes in a fashion that is consistent with the Controller Area Network ("CAN") communications protocol. The system applies to multiple nodes that functional blocks within an operating system environment and to multiple nodes that are each connected to a serial bus. The system utilizes standard CAN error checking, bus arbitration and message formatting and therefore uses standard CAN controllers and transceivers. One node on the bus is selected as the master node. The master node issues a periodic synchronization signal which defines time divisions within which the operations of each node and communications over the CAN bus are organized. Data, particularly real-time data, is transmitted between nodes on the CAN bus during a known time division. Standard CAN bus arbitration is used to ensure that real-time data is transmitted over the CAN bus prior to the transmission of non-real-time data. This ensures that real-time data is, if appropriate, transmitted during each time division.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.