Patent ID: 7225273
Filing Date: 2007-05-29
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. An interface apparatus provided between a first remote control system of a polling communication system and a second remote control system of a contention communication system, wherein said first remote control system comprises: a plurality of terminal units each having a predetermined address; and a transmission unit, wherein said plurality of terminal units and said transmission unit are connected with each other via a first signal line, wherein said transmission unit is configured to transmit and to receive a transmission signal addressing a first terminal unit and a second terminal unit, respectively, to and from said first terminal unit for receiving a first input signal and to and from said second terminal unit for controlling a first load unit, via said first signal line, by using time division multiplexing access, thereby controlling said first load unit in response to the first input signal; wherein said second remote control system comprises a plurality of node units each having a predetermined address, and said node units are connected via a second signal line, wherein a first node unit for receiving a second input signal and a second node unit for controlling a second load unit are configured to transmit and receive a transmission signal addressing said first and second node units to and from each other via said second signal line, thereby controlling said second load unit in response to the second input signal, wherein said interface apparatus comprises: a first signal processing section configured to transmit and receive a transmission signal transmitted via said first signal line; a second signal processing section configured to transmit and receive a transmission signal transmitted via said second signal line; an address storage section, used in said first signal processing section, configured to store a plurality of equivalent addresses corresponding to respective addresses of said plurality of terminal units; a state storage section, used in said second signal processing section, configured to store respective addresses of said plurality of node units and names of the node units corresponding to the respective addresses; an information storage section configured to store mapping information for mapping the respective equivalent addresses stored in said address storage section to the respective addresses stored in said state storage section so that data is transmitted only in one direction in each pair of the respective equivalent addresses stored in said address storage section and the respective addresses stored in said state storage section; and a control section configured to execute at least one of a process of the following processes based on the mapping information: a first control processing configured to transmit a transmission signal for controlling said second load unit to said second node unit via said second signal line in response to a transmission signal which represents reception of the first input signal and which is transmitted from said first terminal unit via said first signal line, thereby controlling said second load unit based on the first input signal, and a second control processing configured to transmit a transmission signal for controlling said first load unit to said second terminal unit via said first signal line in response to a transmission signal which represents reception of the second input signal and which is transmitted from said first node unit via said second signal line, thereby controlling said first load unit based on the second input signal, wherein said information storage section is further configured to store mapping information for mapping the respective equivalent addresses stored in said address storage section to the addresses stored in said state storage section, in one to at least one correspondence, wherein in the first control processing, in response to change in a state of said first load unit, said control section transmits a transmission signal for controlling said second load unit with reference to the mapping information stored in said information storage section, to said second mode unit via said second signal line, thereby controlling said second load unit based on the first input signal, and wherein in the second control processing, in response to change in a state of said second load unit, said control section transmits a transmission signal for controlling said first load unit with reference to the mapping information stored in said information storage section, to said second terminal unit via said first signal line, thereby controlling said first load unit based on the second input signal, and wherein said interface apparatus further comprises, a direction selection switch unit comprising a dip switch having sixteen contact points, configured to specify at said sixteen contact points the transmission direction of data in said each pair of the respective equivalent addresses stored in said address storage section and the respective addresses stored in said state storage section.