Patent ID: 7343279

Claim:
An instrument for interacting with a serial bus, comprising: an interface for coupling a signal between the serial bus and the instrument; and a plurality of processors for processing the signal in different communication layers of a generic bus model, the communication layers being in a hierarchy and each communication layer defining communications on the serial bus in terms of at least one lower communication layer in the hierarchy, each processor being associated with a communication layer, wherein the plurality of processors is arranged with processors of the plurality of processors connected in a sequence according to the hierarchy, each processor being adapted to receive data at a data input, perform processing steps on the data associated with a communication layer of the generic bus model, and output data at a data output, whereby the signal is processed in processors of the plurality of processors according to the sequence, and wherein at least one of the plurality of processors has at least one adjustable parameter for defining at least one characteristic of the communication layer associated with the at least one processor, the at least one adjustable parameter for configuring the instrument for interacting with different types of serial busses.