Patent ID: 7590140
Filing Date: 2009-09-15
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for addressing of participants of a bus system including a bus line, a central control unit including a central control switch having one end connected to a reference potential and another end connected to the bus line and for connecting the central control unit to the reference potential, and a plurality of participants connected with the bus line, each corresponding participant including a detector for detecting a current flow between a corresponding participant and a participant located closest to the corresponding participant and farther away from the central control unit, a controllable switch for establishing a connection of the bus line with a reference potential, a drive unit for switching on and off the controllable switch based an output signal of the detector, a bus connection switch for connecting the corresponding participant to the bus line, an address memory, wherein in the method comprises: in a first phase, the central control unit applies to the bus line a closing signal for time-limited closing of the controllable switches for a predeterminable on-period; in a second phase, the detector of each corresponding participant determines whether a current flows or does not flow between participants adjacent to the corresponding participant, and with an exception of a last participant arranged farthest away from the central control unit, the detector of each corresponding participant detects a current flow to a respective participant arranged farther away from the central control unit and closest to the respective participant, the controllable switches of all corresponding participants are opened, and the detector of the last participant arranged farthest away from the central control unit, does, during the on-period, not detect a current flow to a participant arranged farther away from the central control unit and closest to the last participant, and the controllable switch of the last participant is still closed upon elapse of the on-period and is open only after elapse of the on-period; and in a third phase, the central control unit applies an address data signal to the bus line, wherein said address data signal is stored in the address memory of the corresponding participant whose switch has changed into the open state since the on-period has elapsed such that the corresponding participants are addressed, wherein the controllable switches of all participants are activated simultaneously, which leads to a relatively slow rise of currents in the controllable switches, as a result of which a sum current on the bus line rises relatively slowly, wherein the controllable switches of all participants are deactivated directly or with a time delay based on a response of the detector of the corresponding participant, as a result of which a sum current of all participants is reduced because of a load of the corresponding participant, said deactivating step taking place as a chain reaction starting with a first participant located closest to the central control unit, wherein the sum current on the bus line rises slowly due to slow energizing of the controllable switches relative to a low speed of response of the detectors, and, at a same time, is stepwise reduced due to the step of deactivating the controllable switches, as a result of which the sum current remains limited, wherein a current-carrying capacity of the central control switch of the central control unit is always larger than a sum of the instantaneous currents of the controllable switches of all participants, as a result of which the controllable switches of all participants remain in a position to impress the currents on the bus system, and wherein the first, second and third phases are applied to switches of all participants of a group of participants that have not been previously addressed.