Method and bus system for automatic address allocation

A communications system having a plurality of communications subscribers for an automatic address assignment, comprising:

• a monitor;
• a master performing a superordinate function, and comprising an arrangement to transmit a preamble for the address assignment, the preamble being a specific signal sequence;
• and
• a plurality of slaves which have not yet been allocated an address, where each of the plurality of slaves transmits a respective signal sequence in response to the preamble, comprises the monitor to monitor the communication system after receiving the preamble, and evaluates at least one of
• the respective signal sequence as an action in the communication system, and
• an absence of the action in the communications system during a predefinable time period indicative that no further slaves without address allocation are spatially after the one of the slaves in the communications system, wherein the last of the slaves switches into a normal reception mode to receive an address-assigning telegram from the master to effect the address assignment.

A superordinate communications subscriber for automatic address assignment in a communication system having other communication subscribers, the superordinate subscriber being a master, the other communication subscribers being slaves, comprising:

• a transmitter transmitting a preamble to initiate the address assignment, the preamble being a signal sequence;
• a receiver receiving a response signal sequence transmitted by one of the slaves as a function of the preamble;
• and
• an arrangement transmitting an address-assigning telegram for address assignment as a function of the received response signal.

A slave communications subscriber for use in a communications system with automatic address assignment which is effected by a master superordinate communications subscriber, comprising:

• a first arrangement for operation in a configuration mode;
• a transmitter immediately transmitting a response signal sequence in response to a receipt of a preamble transmitted by the master;
• a monitor monitoring the communications system after receiving the preamble;
• a receiver receiving an address-assigning telegram from the master when the slave switches into the configuration mode, an address assignment being effected as a function of the address-assigning telegram;
• and
• an evaluation arrangement evaluating at least one response signal sequence transmitted by another slave as an action in the communications system, the evaluation arrangement further evaluating an absence of the action in the communications system during a predefinable time period as an indication that there are no further slaves without address allocation spatially after the slave in the communications system, the slave switching into the configuration mode using the first arrangement in the absence of the action.