Patent · US Expired

Serial digital communication system and method

US7228373B2 · kind B2 · utility

5Cited by
4References
23Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 22, 2005
Grant dateJun 5, 2007
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 12, 2025

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F13/4256
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A communication system includes a master device which communicates with a chain of serially-connected slave devices. The master originates messages, each of which is intended for a particular ‘target’ slave device. Each message contains a ‘distance to target device’ value equal to the number of devices between the master and target, and a data packet containing data to be conveyed between the master and target. Each slave device determines if the ‘distance to target device’ value indicates that it is the target. If not, the slave device increments or decrements the value in real time, with no latency, and transmits the modified message to the next slave device until received by the target device. In one embodiment, the target device may place data in the data packet, and the slave devices are arranged to buffer the data back to the master device.

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