System and method for programming stacked programmable devices in a sequence
AssigneeTEZ Presto, LLC
InventorKenneth J. Lovegreen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system, method and control unit for determining an order of a plurality of stacked electronic devices randomly ordered in a stack, for taking inventory of the devices, and for programming the devices according to the determined order. Each of the electronic devices is assigned a unique serial number, and the electronic devices are configured to report their serial numbers to the control unit in sequence, either upward or downward, in the stack. The control unit is configured to determine an order of the plurality of electronic devices in the stack based on the sequence in which the identifiers are received, to compare the sequence numbers to a known list to determine if any devices are missing, and to program the devices according to the determined order.
Claims18
A method of determining an order of a plurality of stacked electronic devices randomly ordered in a stack, said method comprising:
- receiving in a control unit, an identifier of each device in sequence in the stack;
- and
- determining by the control unit, the order of the plurality of stackable electronic devices in the stack based on the sequence in which the identifiers are received;
- wherein the identifier for each device is a unique serial number, and each given device includes a primary data connection for communicating with the control unit and a secondary data connection comprising a receiver on a top surface of the given device and a transmitter on a bottom surface of the given device, wherein the method further comprises:
- the control unit instructing the devices via the primary data connection to send their serial numbers downward through the stack via the secondary data connection;
- the control unit requesting any device that heard nothing through the secondary data connection to reply to the control unit with the device's serial number;
- receiving by the control unit, a serial number from the top device;
- the control unit requesting any device that received the serial number of the top device to reply with its serial number;
- receiving by the control unit, a serial number from a next device below the top device;
- repeating the requesting and receiving steps for each subsequent serial number until no reply is received;
- and
- determining that the last received serial number corresponds to a bottom device on the stack.
A method of determining an order of a plurality of stacked electronic devices randomly ordered in a stack, said method comprising:
- receiving in a control unit, an identifier of each device in sequence in the stack;
- and
- determining by the control unit, the order of the plurality of stackable electronic devices in the stack based on the sequence in which the identifiers are received;
- wherein the identifier for each device is a unique serial number, and each given device includes a primary data connection for communicating with the control unit and a secondary data connection comprising a transmitter on a top surface of the given device and a receiver on a bottom surface of the given device, wherein the method further comprises:
- the control unit instructing the devices via the primary data connection to send their serial numbers upward through the stack via the secondary data connection;
- the control unit sending a control unit identifier to a bottom device on the stack via the secondary data connection;
- the control unit requesting any device that received the control unit identifier to reply with its serial number;
- receiving by the control unit, a serial number from the bottom device;
- the control unit requesting any device that received the serial number of the bottom device to reply with its serial number;
- receiving by the control unit, a serial number from a next device above the bottom device;
- repeating the requesting and receiving steps for each subsequent serial number until no reply is received;
- and
- determining that the last received serial number corresponds to a top device on the stack.
A method of programming a plurality of stacked electronic devices randomly ordered in a stack, wherein each device in the stack includes a data receiver on a bottom surface of the device and a data transmitter on a top surface of the device, said method comprising:
- receiving by a bottom device in the stack, an instruction from a control unit to program itself as device number one;
- the bottom device in the stack sending via its data transmitter, an instruction to a next higher device in the stack to program itself as device number two;
- each subsequent higher device in the stack sending via its data transmitter, an instruction to a next higher device in the stack to program as an incremented device number until all devices in the stack have received a device number for programming;
- and
- each device in the stack programming itself as the device number received.
A control unit for determining an order of a plurality of stacked electronic devices randomly ordered in a stack, wherein the control unit includes a processor and a memory for storing computer program instructions, wherein when the processor executes the computer program instructions, the control unit is caused to:
- receive an identifier of each device in sequence in the stack;
- and
- determine the order of the plurality of stackable electronic devices in the stack based on the sequence in which the identifiers are received.
A system comprising:
- a control unit;
- and
- a plurality of electronic devices stacked in random order in a stack and in communication with the control unit;
- wherein each of the electronic devices is assigned a unique identifier, and the electronic devices are configured to report their identifiers to the control unit in sequence in the stack;
- and
- wherein the control unit is configured to determine an order of the plurality of electronic devices in the stack based on the sequence in which the identifiers are received.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.