Patent ID: 6189059
Filing Date: 2001-02-13
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A communications system, comprising:a line;an element for placing a first potential on said line;a plurality of slave stations each storing an identification code formed of bits carrying one of two logic states, each of said plurality of slave stations having an output circuit with an output terminal connected to said line, each said output circuit controlled to transmit the identification code of a respective slave station bit by bit onto said line simultaneously with transmitted identification codes of others of said plurality of slave stations, each said output circuit configured such that said line remains at said first potential if each said output circuit of said slave stations is simultaneously transmitting a first logic state, each said output circuit configured such that if one or more of said output circuits transmits a second logic state while other said output circuits are transmitting the first logic state, then the output circuit of said one or more slave stations switches said line to a second potential, each particular said slave station having monitoring means monitoring whether the transmitted bit of the identification code of said particular slave station is of the second logic state when said line has said second potential and said monitoring means deactivating said particular slave station if the transmitted bit of said particular slave station has the first logic state; anda master station controlling said plurality of slave stations, said master station having a master monitoring means for monitoring a potential of said line during the transmission of the identification codes by said plurality of slave stations for registering the identification code of a last active slave station, said master station having a memory receiving and storing the identification codes so that a corresponding slave station can subsequently be addressed by said master station by the respective identification code stored in said master station.