Controller with automatic field bus protocol detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11206150-B2
Application number	US-201816204926-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2018
Priority date	Nov 29, 2018
Publication date	Dec 21, 2021
Grant date	Dec 21, 2021

Abstract

A controller for equipment includes a communications interface, a communications protocol manager, a protocol detection manager, and an equipment controller. The communications interface connects to at least one of a serial bus and a wireless communications device. The communications protocol manager communicates via at least one of the serial bus and the wireless communications device according to a communications protocol and a predetermined parameter. The protocol detection manager causes the communications protocol manager to test for multiple communications protocols and predetermined parameters to identify a communications protocol and parameter used by at least one of the serial bus and the wireless communications device. The equipment controller uses the identified communications protocol and parameter to generate protocol-specific control signals or communication signals for the equipment and use the protocol-specific control signals or communication signals to control the equipment or communicate with the equipment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A controller for equipment, the controller comprising:
a communications interface connected to at least one of a serial bus and a wireless communications device; and
processing circuitry configured to:
communicate via at least one of the serial bus and the wireless communications device according to a communications protocol and a predetermined parameter;
test for a plurality of predefined communications protocols and predetermined parameters to identify a communications protocol and parameter used by at least one of the serial bus and the wireless communications device, the plurality of predetermined parameters comprising at least one of a baud rate, a parity, a number of data bits, start bits, or stop bits, and the plurality of predefined communications protocols each being a master, a master-slave, or a slave communications protocol; and
use the identified communications protocol and parameter used by the at least one of the serial bus and the wireless communications device to generate protocol-specific control signals or communication signals for the equipment and use the protocol-specific control signals or communication signals to control the equipment or communicate with the equipment;
wherein the processing circuitry uses a set of master communications protocols and a set of slave communications protocols to communicate via at least one of the serial bus and the wireless communications device, wherein the master communications protocols are communications protocols for which the controller is a master device and the slave communications protocols are communications protocols for which the controller is a slave device and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to transition the controller into a slave device mode and perform a slave protocol test for each of the slave communications protocols to identify the communications protocol used by at least one of the serial bus and wireless communications device;
wherein the slave protocol test comprises:
selecting one of the slave communications protocols and one of the predetermined parameters;
configuring the controller to communicate according to the selected slave communications protocol and the selected predetermined parameter;
receiving data through the communications interface;
determining if the received data corresponds to the selected slave communications protocol and the selected predetermined parameter;
storing the selected slave communications protocol and predetermined parameter, if it is determined that the received data corresponds to the selected slave communications protocol and the selected predetermined parameter;
selecting another of the predetermined parameters;
reconfiguring the controller to communicate according to the selected slave communications protocol with the another selected predetermined parameter; and
repeating the steps of receiving data, determining if the received data corresponds to the slave communications protocol and the predetermined parameter, selecting another of the predetermined parameters, and reconfiguring the controller, until all of the predetermined parameters have been tested for the selected slave communications protocol, or until the selected slave communications protocol and the selected predetermined parameter are determined to correspond to the received data.

2. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of predetermined parameters comprise all of the baud rate, the parity, the number of data bits, the start bits, and the stop bits.

3. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry further includes a set of the predetermined parameter for each of the slave communications protocols and master communications protocols.

4. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to transition the controller into a master device mode and perform a master protocol test for each of the master communications protocols to identify the communications protocol used by at least one of the serial bus and wireless communications device.

5. The controller of claim 4 , wherein the master protocol test comprises:
selecting one of the master communications protocols and one of the predetermined parameters;
configuring the controller to communicate according to the selected master communications protocol and predetermined parameter;
waiting a first predetermined amount of time;
sending a second protocol request to the at least one of the serial bus and the wireless communications device through the communications interface;
waiting a second predetermined amount of time for a protocol response;
receiving the protocol response through the communications interface;
determining if the received protocol response corresponds to the selected master communications protocol and the selected predetermined parameter;
storing the selected master communications protocol and the selected predetermined parameter, if the received protocol response corresponds to the selected master communications protocol and the selected predetermined parameter;
selecting another of the predetermined parameters;
reconfiguring the controller to communicate according to the selected master communications protocol and the other selected predetermined parameter;
repeating the steps of waiting the first predetermined amount of time, sending the second protocol request, waiting the second predetermined amount of time, determining if the received protocol response corresponds to the selected master communications protocol and the selected predetermined parameter, storing the selected master communications protocol and the selected predetermined parameter, and selecting another of the predetermined parameters until all of the predetermined parameters have been tested for the selected master communications protocol, or until the selected master communications protocol and the selected predetermined parameter are determined to correspond to the received protocol response.

6. A method for determining a communications protocol and one or more datalink parameters of a serial communications system for a controller connected to the serial communications system, the method comprising:
performing a slave communications protocol detection test for each of one or more predefined slave communications protocols, wherein the slave communications protocol detection test comprises transitioning the controller into a slave device mode and receiving information from the serial communications system to identify the communications protocol and one or more datalink parameters used by the serial communications system;
if the communications protocol and one or more datalink parameters of the serial communications system are not determined by performing the slave communications protocol detection test, performing a master communications protocol detection test for each of one or more predefined master communications protocols, wherein the master communications protocol detection test comprises transitioning the controller into a master device mode and sending a first protocol request to the serial communications system and waiting for a response from the serial communications system to identify the communications protocol and one or more datalink parameters of the serial communications system;
configuring the controller to communicate with the serial communications system according to the identified communications protocol and one or more datalink parameters, if either of the slave communications protocol detection test or the master communications protocol detection test identify the communications protocol and one or more datalink parameters used by the serial communications system; and
using the identified communications protocol and one or more datalink parameters to gener

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co
• Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP

Inventors

• Galchenko Sergey A
• Hamber Eric W

Classifications

• H04L2012/285

  Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators · CPC title

• H04L12/283

  Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network · CPC title

• H04L12/2807 Primary

  Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network (arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50) · CPC title

• H04L12/2816

  Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities (arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00) · CPC title