Patent ID: 7188207

Claim:
A communication device operating according to an asynchronous data transmission via a symmetrical serial interface, comprising: a microcontroller including a CAN controller and an asynchronous serial interface unit for receiving, processing, and outputting data; an asynchronous serial interface receiving line; an asynchronous serial interface transmitting line; an external asynchronous serial interface port; an asynchronous serial interface driver device for providing an asymmetrical data exchange with the microcontroller via the asynchronous serial interface unit, the asynchronous serial interface receiving line, the asynchronous serial interface transmitting line, and the external asynchronous serial interface port; a CAN receiving line; a CAN transmitting line; a plurality of external CAN ports; a CAN driver device for providing a symmetrical data exchange with the microcontroller via the CAN controller, the CAN receiving line, the CAN transmitting line, and the plurality of external CAN ports; and a connecting device arranged for selective connection between the CAN receiving line and the asynchronous serial interface receiving line, and arranged for selective connection between the CAN transmitting line and the asynchronous serial interface transmitting line for providing a symmetrical data exchange with the microcontroller via the asynchronous serial interface unit, the CAN driver device, and the plurality of external CAN ports.