Addressing apparatus and method
AssigneeRobert Bosch GmbH
InventorsDetlef Rode, Uwe Zurmuehl
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An addressing apparatus and a corresponding method are described, such that addressing of network components, which are connected via a bus and which each have an address including a permanent base address and an offset address linked thereto, is accomplished with a device for transmitting the address via the bus. A coding device, insertable between the bus and a relevant network component, for defining the corresponding offset address using one or more predetermined coding signals generated thereby, is additionally provided. It is possible thereby to achieve a simple manner of addressing components (which preferably have identical functions and identical base addresses) that requires no manual action by the user on the components.
Claims14
An addressing apparatus for addressing network components, one of the network components being connected to another one of the network components via a bus, each of the network components having an address including a permanent base address and a linked offset address, comprising:
- a device transmitting the address via the bus;
- and
- a coding device positioned between the bus and a respective network component of the network components, the coding device determining the offset address of the respective network component using at least one predetermined coding signal generated by the coding device,
- wherein the coding device includes a coding plug, the coding plug including (1) input connectors connecting the bus to the coding plug, (2) output connectors connecting the coding plug to an input arrangement of the respective network component so that data is transmitted between the bus and the input arrangement and (3) at least one coding connector delivering the at least one predetermined coding signal to the respective network component, and
- wherein the at least one coding connector utilizes the at least one predetermined coding signal from a bus supply potential line running through the coding plug.
A method for addressing network components, one of the network components being connected to another one of the network components via a bus, comprising the steps of:
- providing a permanent base address to each of the network components;
- linking an offset address to the permanent base address to form an address of a corresponding network component of the network components;
- positioning a coding device between the bus and the corresponding network component to determine a corresponding offset address of the corresponding network component using at least one predetermined coding signal, the at least one predetermined coding signal being generated by the coding device, the coding device including a coding plug, the coding plug including (1) input connectors connecting the bus to the coding plug, (2) output connectors connecting the coding plug to an input arrangement of the corresponding network component so that data is transmitted between the bus and the input arrangement and (3) at least one coding connector delivering the at least one predetermined coding signal to the respective network component;
- tapping, by the at least one coding connector, the at least one predetermined coding signal from a bus supply line running through the coding plug;
- and
- transmitting the address via the bus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.