Serial Bus Transceiver Evaluation Block for Sensor Nodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
The CAN bus system requires expensive microcontrollers on all sensors and actuators for message evaluation and control, leading to high hardware costs and complex communication protocols, which complicates real-time capability and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A transceiver for subscriber stations in a serial bus system that includes a receiver and an evaluation block to determine if messages are intended for the station, allowing data to be received or inserted, reducing the need for microcontrollers and enabling direct control of sensors and actuators with a central control device, while also allowing for energy-saving operations and simplified troubleshooting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If microcontrollers are installed on all sensors and actuators for message evaluation and control, then communication functionality is achieved, but hardware costs and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the message evaluation function and control function into a single integrated transceiver device. The transceiver receives messages, evaluates them using an evaluation block, and directly controls actuators without requiring separate microcontrollers at each sensor/actuator node. This consolidation reduces the number of discrete components and simplifies the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The transceiver device performs multiple functions: receiving messages from the bus, evaluating message content, determining control actions, and driving actuators. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for dedicated microcontrollers at each endpoint, reducing hardware complexity while maintaining full communication and control capabilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If microcontrollers are used on all sensors and actuators for message processing, then communication capability is enabled, but hardware costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By combining message reception, evaluation, and actuator control into a single transceiver unit, the patent eliminates the need for expensive microcontrollers at each sensor/actuator. This consolidation reduces component count and hardware cost while preserving full communication functionality through the bus system.
Solution Approach 2:
The transceiver device uses simpler, less expensive components compared to microcontrollers. The evaluation block and control logic are implemented in a cost-effective manner that maintains communication capability without requiring expensive programmable controllers at each node.
3Measurement precision
If complex communication protocols are implemented on each node, then message processing is accurate, but real-time capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The transceiver device performs message evaluation and control decision-making in advance, before actuators need to respond. The evaluation block continuously monitors incoming messages and prepares control actions, enabling faster real-time response compared to nodes that process messages sequentially through microcontroller software.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the complex message processing and control logic from distributed microcontrollers and concentrates it in dedicated transceiver devices with hardware-based evaluation blocks. This separation allows accurate message processing in specialized hardware while keeping individual node response times short.
4Reliability
If microcontrollers are deployed on all devices for protocol handling, then communication reliability is maintained, but maintenance complexity and software update requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The transceiver device replaces microcontrollers with simpler hardware that has no software requiring updates. The evaluation block and control logic are implemented in fixed hardware, eliminating software bugs, security vulnerabilities, and update requirements while maintaining communication reliability through robust hardware-based protocol handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The transceiver device performs autonomous message evaluation and control without requiring external software management. The hardware-based evaluation block automatically processes messages and controls actuators without software updates, reducing maintenance burden and improving ease of repair compared to microcontroller-based systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a transmitting/receiving device (12; 120) for a subscriber station (10; 100; 1000) of a serial bus system (1) and to a method for communication by means of a transmitting/receiving device (12; 120) in a bus system (1). The transmitting/receiving device (12; 120) has a receiver (121) for serially receiving a message (45) from a bus (40) of the bus system (1), an evaluation block (128) for evaluating whether the received message (45) is intended for the subscriber station (10; 100; 1000) and therefore data (452) of the received message (45) should be received by the subscriber station (10; 100; 1000) or therefore data (452) of the subscriber station (10; 100; 1000) should, by means of the transmitting/receiving device (12; 120), be inserted into the received message (45) and transmitted on the bus (40), and a first connection point (CRx, CTx) for serially outputting a signal for the subscriber station (10; 100; 1000) on the basis of the evaluation of the evaluation block (128), the evaluation block (128) being designed to always output a signal edge at the first connection point (CRx, CTx) when the received message (45) is intended for the subscriber station (10; 100; 1000) and a data bit is currently pending in the data (452) of the received message (45) or a data bit of the data (452) should be inserted into the received message (45) by the transmitting/receiving device (12; 120).