Patent ID: 7073001
Filing Date: 2006-07-04
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for communicating between a plurality of transceivers, the transceivers being arranged in a serial communication loop such that an initializing transceiver transmits to a first transceiver, and so on until a last transceiver in the loop transmits to the initializing transceiver, wherein each transceiver has a corresponding transmitting serial channel and a receiving serial channel, the transmitting serial channel for each transceiver being the receiving serial channel for a next transceiver in the loop, comprising: establishing duplex communication in the loop such that each receiving serial channel is synchronized with respect to its transceiver, and wherein this synchronization is unstable; detecting a loss of synchronization in the receiving serial channel of a transceiver in the loop; transmitting a desynchronizing signal from the detecting transceiver over its transmitting serial channel to the next transceiver in the loop; wherein reception of the desynchronizing signal by the next transceiver causes its receiving serial channel to be desynchronized, whereby a loss of synchronization in a receiving serial channel of a given transceiver in the loop is propagated to each the remaining receiving serial channel in the loop; transmitting a first synchronizing signal from the initializing transceiver over its transmitting serial channel to the first transceiver if the initializing transceiver detects a loss of synchronization in its receiving serial channel; starting a timeout period; if the first synchronizing signal is received at the first transceiver, transmitting a second synchronizing signal from the first transceiver over its transmitting serial channel; if the initializing transceiver receives the second synchronizing signal before the timeout period expires, resuming duplex communication such that each transceiver's receiving serial channel is synchronized; and if the initializing transceiver does not receive the second synchronizing signal before the timeout period expires, transmitting the desynchronizing signal from the initializing transceiver to the first transceiver, whereby the serial communication loop is protected from contention between multiple initializing transceivers.