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US 2014/0372647 A1Published application
Network communication control apparatus, system and method
AssigneeNXP B.V.
InventorsRainer Evers, Martin Wagner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to single-wire bus communications. In accordance with one or more embodiments, a pull-up current is delimited when a single-wire bus circuit is operated at a dominant level during the transmission of data on the single-wire bus circuit. This approach can be implemented to facilitate power savings, such as in applications involving a master control circuit that transmits signals by driving the single-wire bus circuit between dominant and recessive levels.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- a voltage source;
- a master control circuit configured and arranged to transmit signals by driving a single-wire bus circuit at a dominant level and at a recessive level;
- an impedance-bias circuit configured and arranged with the voltage source to pull up a voltage level on the bus circuit, using a pull-up current that passes through the impedance-bias circuit, while the master control circuit transmits the signals;
- and
- a current delimiter circuit connected between the voltage source and the impedance-bias circuit, the current delimiter circuit being configured and arranged to
- delimit the pull-up current in response to a transition of the bus circuit from the recessive level to the dominant level, and
- cease delimiting of the pull-up current in response to a transition of the bus circuit from the dominant level to the recessive level.
4 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a voltage regulator configured and arranged to regulate supply voltage provided by a battery;
- a system controller circuit having a serial peripheral interface and being configured and arranged to communicate serial data, a chip select signal and a clock synchronization signal using the regulated supply voltage;
- and
- a plurality of communication circuits configured and arranged to, using the regulated supply voltage, communicate data on a single-wire bus circuit using a channel that operates independently from a channel of at least another one of the communication circuits, each communication circuit including
- a master control circuit configured and arranged to generate and communicate signals on the channel by driving the single-wire bus circuit between a recessive level and a dominant level based upon the serial data and clock synchronization signal communicated via the serial peripheral interface, and
- a transceiver control circuit including
- a pull-up circuit configured and arranged to use power from the battery to pull up a voltage level on the single-wire bus circuit, using a pull-up current that passes through the pull-up circuit, and
- a current delimiter configured and arranged to delimit the pull-up current in response to the master control circuit driving the single-wire bus circuit from the recessive level to the dominant level, and to cease delimiting the pull-up current in response to the master control circuit driving the single-wire bus circuit from the dominant level to the recessive level.
5 more elements
A method comprising:
- transmitting signals by driving a single-wire bus circuit at a dominant level and at a recessive level;
- using a voltage source, pulling up a voltage level on the bus circuit while the signals are transmitted, by passing a pull-up current to the bus circuit;
- delimiting the pull-up current in response to a transition of the bus circuit from the recessive level to the dominant level;
- and
- ceasing delimiting of the pull-up current in response to a transition of the bus circuit from the dominant level to the recessive level.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.