Patent ID: 9331866
Filing Date: 2016-05-03
CPC Classification: G06F,H04L

Claim Text:
1. An apparatus operable as a terminal for use in a master-slave network having a master communication circuit and having a plurality of slave communication circuits respectively operable as serially-connected communication circuits, the apparatus comprising: a switching circuit configured and arranged to operate in a communication mode, in which the switch communicates information carried by data signals between a first data port and a second data port, and operate in an addressing mode, in which the switching circuit receives a first information signal having a voltage level that represents a cascade of slave circuits of the plurality of slave circuits in series between the master communication circuit and the first data port, and sends a second information signal on the second data port, the second information signal being generated by applying a voltage potential between the first and second data ports thereby modifying the voltage level of the first information signal; an address generation circuit configured and arranged to generate an address for the apparatus based on a voltage difference between a voltage level on the first data port in the communication mode and the voltage level of the first information; and a circuit configured and arranged to communicate by using a protocol in which the address identifies the apparatus irrespective of other slave communication circuits in the network in communications with the first data port.