Patent attributes
In the method for addressing the participants of a bus system, the central control unit connects the bus line to one potential of the operating voltage, while each participant tries to pull the bus line to a reference potential, normally the operating voltage, wherein, due to the current source behavior of the switch placing the bus to the operating voltage, a current is detectable by a detector arranged in the bus line and associated with the participant. When the participant detects this decrease of current, said participant switches off its switch. Due to time-defined slow connection of the switched current sources, this process takes place sequentially within a group of participants until the last participant is reached. The detector associated with this participant does in no case detect a current, such that, after elapse of a predeterminable on-period, the switch of this participant is still open. Thus one of the participants from the group of all participants is specified such that an address can now be allocated to this participant. During further addressing cycles the remaining participants are subjected to the same process, wherein the switch of the participant already addressed remains open all the time.
