Patent ID: 7040435

Claim:
A system for data communication associated with a vehicle comprising a tractor and at least one wheeled apparatus pulled by the tractor, said system comprising: a first data communications apparatus associated with the tractor; a second data communications apparatus associated with the at least one wheeled apparatus; at least one electrical conductor operatively interconnecting said first and second data communications apparatuses, said at least one electrical conductor comprising a data bus for transmitting data between said first and second data communications apparatuses; a data communications protocol used for transmitting data along said data bus, the data comprising a plurality of data bits which transition between logic values indicating whether said data bus is in an active or an idle state; and a processor for interrogating data transmitted along said data bus one bit at a time to sense a transition in logic values and a change in said data bus from the active to the idle state, whereby data may be transmitted along said data bus with minimal delay.