Budget sensor bus

A method for conveying information from a monitored circuit comprising one or more monitored devices to a host device, the method comprising:

• the monitored circuit transmitting information packets to the host device over a unidirectional point-to-point single-wire bus, wherein the monitored circuit and the host device are each coupled to opposite ends of the bus, wherein each one of the information packets comprises:
• a start sequence identifier;
• a data type identifier;
• a device number identifier;
• device information data;
• and
• a stop sequence identifier;
• the host device determining where to begin sampling information contained in a corresponding packet, using the start sequence identifier;
• the host device receiving the device information data;
• the host device determining to which one of the one or more monitored devices the device information data corresponds based on the device number identifier;
• the host device identifying what type of data the device information data is based on the data type identifier;
• and
• the monitored circuit driving the bus high using the stop sequence identifier;
• wherein information packets are transmitted from the monitored circuit to the host device but not from the host device to the monitored circuit.

A carrier medium for carrying information packets from a monitored circuit to a host device;

• wherein the monitored circuit comprises one or more monitored devices;
• wherein each one of the information packets comprises:
• a start sequence identifier;
• a data type identifier;
• a device number identifier;
• device information data;
• and
• a stop sequence identifier;
• wherein the host device is operable to use the start sequence identifier to determine where to begin sampling information contained in a corresponding packet;
• wherein the host device is operable to use the device number identifier to determine to which one of the one or more monitored devices the device information data corresponds;
• wherein the host device is operable to use the data type identifier to determine what type of data the device information data is;
• wherein the monitored circuit is operable to use the stop sequence identifier to drive the bus high;
• and
• wherein information packets are transmitted over a single channel of the carrier medium from the monitored circuit to the host device but not from the host device to the monitored circuit.