Method and apparatus for jointly controlling multiple devices

A vehicle control unit for controlling a plurality of subcontrol units Dl, l=1, . . . , n, comprising a selector means for selecting, for each of said subcontrol units a state from a plurality of states supported by said subcontrol unit the states of all subcontrol units Dl, l=1, . . . , n having integer indices Sl,jl, jl=0, 1, . . . , ml, assigned to them, and for determining a code number according to:

• M
• =
• x
• +
• S
• n
• ,
• jn
• -
• y
• n
• +
• ∑
• l
• =
• 1
• n
• -
• 1
• ⁢
• (
• S
• l
• ,
• jl
• -
• y
• l
• )
• ⁢
• ∏
• j
• =
• 1
• +
• l
• n
• ⁢
• ⁢
• m
• j
• ;
• corresponding to the selected states, wherein x, yl are integers, and broadcast for broadcasting the code number M.

A vehicle subcontrol unit, comprising:

• a receiver means for receiving a code number M;
• a decoder for calculating a state number according to:
• S
• l
• ,
• jl
• =
• y
• l
• +
• I
• +
• ∞
• ⁡
• (
• M
• +
• 1
• -
• x
• N
• l
• )
• -
• I
• -
• ∞
• ⁡
• (
• M
• -
• x
• N
• l
• ⁢
• m
• l
• )
• ⁢
• m
• l
• -
• 1
• ,
• from said code number M,
• where
• I+∞(a) is the integer nearest to a which is greater than or equal to a,
• I−∞(a) is the integer nearest to a which is smaller than or equal to a,
• x, yl are integers and:
• N
• l
• =
• {
• ∏
• k
• =
• l
• +
• 1
• n
• ⁢
• ⁢
• m
• k
• if
• ⁢
• ⁢
• k
• <
• n
• 1
• if
• ⁢
• ⁢
• k
• =
• n
• ,
• ⁢
• ⁢
• and
• a state setting for setting the subcontrol unit to the state specified by said state number.

A computer readable medium embodying a computer program product, said computer product comprising:

• a control program, the control program configured to jointly control a plurality n, n being an integer greater than 1, of devices connected to a same communication channel, each of said devices Dl, l=1, . . . , n, being capable of assuming a number ml of states, the control program further configured to:
• unambiguously assign to each combination of states of said n devices an integer code number M, wherein
• M
• ∈
• [
• x
• ,
• x
• +
• ∏
• l
• =
• 1
• n
• ⁢
• ⁢
• m
• l
• [
• ,
• x being an arbitrary number;
• for a combination of states to be set in the devices, select the code number M assigned to said combination (m5);
• broadcast (m2) said code number M to all devices Dl, l=1, . . . , n via said communication channel;
• decode (s2), in each device, the state to be set in that device from said code number M;
• and
• set (s3) the decoded state in each device.