Appliance sensor and man machine interface bus

US6795871B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• General Electric Company · US

Inventors

• Tam Nolan · Louisville, US
• Wolfgang Daum · Erie, US
• Rollie R. Herzog · Louisville, US
• Mark R. Mathews · Lombard, US
• Robert Marten Bultman · Smithfield, US
• John Steven Holmes · Sellersburg, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 22, 2000
• Grant date: Sep 21, 2004
• Expiry date: Dec 22, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G05B2219/2613
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A control system for an appliance utilizing a plurality of peripheral devices includes a controller and a communications bus coupled to the plurality of peripheral devices and to the controller. The controller is configured to receive data from the peripheral devices over the communications bus and transmit control operations to the peripheral devices based on the data received. The communications bus reduces overall wiring requirements due to elimination or reduction of power wiring of the peripheral devices, facilitates distributed displays and human machine interfaces, and allows model differentiation with late point identification by a population of bus connections with a sensor, display, interface, or a blank. A data collision detection scheme is also provided to ensure proper communication along the bus.