Digital communications bus suitable for automotive applications
AssigneeSemiconductor Components Industries, LLC
InventorsJean-Paul Anna Joseph Eggermont, Johannes Vorenholt, Peter Hus
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided herein is a digital communications bus suitable for automotive applications, along with bus controllers and sensors that use the bus and its associated communication methods. One illustrative sensor includes: a clock signal generator; a bus interface coupled to differential signal conductors to detect periodic synchronization pulses from a bus controller; and a controller that aligns a clock signal from the clock signal generator with the periodic synchronization pulses. The bus interface sends digital data between the periodic synchronization pulses to the bus controller using the clock signal to control symbol transitions.
Claims20
A sensor that comprises:
- a clock signal generator;
- a bus interface coupled to differential signal conductors and configured to detect periodic synchronization pulses from a bus controller, each pulse of the periodic synchronization pulses initiating an interval for transmission of a data frame to the bus controller without further data transmission from the bus controller;
- and
- a controller configured to align a clock signal from the clock signal generator with the periodic synchronization pulses,
- the bus interface configured to send the data frames between the periodic synchronization pulses to the bus controller and to use the clock signal to control symbol transitions.
A controller-area network that comprises:
- a bus controller coupled to a pair of differential signal conductors and configured to transmit periodic synchronization pulses, each of the periodic synchronization pulses initiating an interval for transmission of a data frame to the bus controller without further data transmission from the bus controller;
- a sensor coupled to the pair of differential signal conductors and configured to receive the periodic synchronization pulses, the sensor including:
- a controller configured to align a clock signal with the periodic synchronization pulses;
- and
- a bus interface configured to send the data frames between the periodic synchronization pulses to the bus controller and to use the clock signal to control symbol transitions.
A digital communication method that comprises:
- generating a local clock signal;
- aligning the local clock signal with periodic synchronization pulses from a bus controller, each of the periodic synchronization pulses initiating an interval for transmission of a data frame to the bus controller without further data transmission from the bus controller;
- and
- sending the data frames between the periodic synchronization pulses to the bus controller and using the clock signal to control symbol transitions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.