US 2003/0200323 A1Published application

Coupling apparatus for the coupling of devices to a bus system

AssigneeSick AG

InventorsFranz Josef Dold, Jens Niehus

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Abstract

A coupling apparatus is described for the coupling of devices such as sensors, actuators or controls to a bus system. The communication between the devices, i.e. the transmission and/or reception of data via the bus system takes place via any desired given first communications protocol (bus protocol). At least one interface at the device side is provided for the connection of a device to the coupling apparatus, with the interface at the device side being designed for the communication with the device via a second standardized communications protocol different from the bus protocol. Furthermore, at least one interface at the bus side is provided for the connection of the coupling apparatus to the bus system, with the interface at the bus side being designed for communication with the bus system via the bus protocol. The coupling apparatus includes a protocol conversion unit by which data received via the interface at the bus side can be converted into the standardized communications protocol and data received via the interface at the device side can be converted into the bus protocol.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A coupling apparatus for the coupling of devices (6, 12, 13, 14) such as sensors, actuators or controls to a bus system (1), wherein the communication between the devices (6, 12, 13, 14), i.e. the transmission and/or reception of data via the bus system (1), takes place via any desired given first communications protocol (bus protocol), there being

at least one interface (5, 9, 10, 11) at the device side for the connection of a device (6, 12, 13, 14) to the coupling apparatus (2, 3, 20), with the interface (5, 9, 10, 11) at the device side being designed for communication with the device (6, 12, 13, 14) via a second standardized communications protocol different from the bus protocol;
an interface (4) at the bus side for the connection of the coupling apparatus (2, 3, 20) to the bus system (1), wherein the interface (4) is made for the communication with the bus system (1) via the bus protocol;
and at least one protocol conversion unit (7) by which
data received via the interface (4) at the bus side can be converted into the standardized communications protocol,
and data received via the interface (5, 9, 10, 11) at the device side can be converted into the bus protocol.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.