Auto-addressing with position determination of bus subscribers

A method for sensing the position of the installation location of slave units in an operating region of a system, comprising a number i of adjacent operating regions each having a slave unit, wherein each operating region during operation of the installation has a respective predetermined physical state, for the purpose of which the individual slave units have an operating function for achieving or changing a physical state in the operating region in question of the system, and wherein a respective sensor is provided in the operating region in question in order to sense a measurement variable proportional to the physical state, having the following steps:

• a. allocation or determining of the network address of a slave unit by means of an auto-addressing method;
• b. activating or changing of the operating function of this respective slave unit in order to reach or change the physical state in the operating region in question;
• c. sensing of a detectable state change in the operating units by measuring the respective measurement variables as a function of time by means of the sensors;
• d. associating of the sensed installation location with the greatest measured change of the measurement variable with the network address of the activated slave unit.