Method and apparatus for controlling terminals on communication network

Claim 3

A terminal control method according to Claim 1, wherein a terminal uses a command system to know through communication the contents of said address code possessed by another terminal connectable to said transmission line said command system comprising a SDA request command (221) for collecting information about SDA's of the respective devices essentially constituting each terminal, a SDA response command (222) indicative of a response to said SDA request command, a FA request command (223) for collecting information about FA's of functions of a device for the SDA, and a FA response command (224) indicative of a response to said FA request command, each of said response commands having an operation code part indicative of the contents of the response to the request and an operand part containing information about the SDA or FA.

Claim 4

A communication apparatus having a plurality of terminals (321, 322, 323, 324, 231) on a communication network which are connectable to a transmission line (10) to communicate mutually and each of which includes a single device or a composite device essentially consisting of a plurality of devices, wherein each terminal is assigned with an address code used for transmission and reception of messages to and from said plurality of terminals on said communication network, said address code comprising a device address or DA (131) assigned to the individual terminals, sub­device address or SDA (132) assigned to respective devices constituting each terminal and a function address or FA (133) assigned to respective functions possessed by each device, and wherein each terminal comprises a transmission/reception control processor 181; 191; 201; 211) and a received message control processor (182; 192; 202) including a SDA decision processing unit (183; 193; 203), at least one FA decision processing unit (185; 195; 204) and at least one FA destined message control processing unit (186-­188; 196-199; 205-207), said transmission/reception control processor being operable to detect and compare a DA in a message on said transmission line with a DA of its own terminal and upon occurrence of coincidence of DA, transfer the received message to said received message control processor, said SDA decision processing unit being operable to detect and compare a SDA in the message received from said transmission/reception control processor with its own SDA and transfer the message to said FA decision processing unit, said FA decision processing unit being operable to detect and compare a FA in the message received from said SDA decision processing unit with its own FA and transfer the message to a designated FA destined message control processing unit, said designated FA destined message control processing unit being operable to analyze the message received from said FA decision processing unit.

Claim 5

A communication apparatus having a plurality of terminals (321, 322, 323, 324, 231) on a communication network which are connectable to a transmission line (10) to communicate mutually and each of which includes a single device or a composite device essentially consisting of a plurality of devices, wherein each terminal is assigned with an address code used for transmission and reception of messages to and from said plurality of terminals on said communication network, said address code comprising a device address or DA (131) assigned to the individual terminals, sub­device address or SDA (132) assigned to respective devices constituting each terminal and a function address or FA (133) assigned to respective functions possessed by each device, and wherein each terminal comprises a transmission/reception control processor 181; 191; 201; 211) and a received message control processor (182; 192; 202) including a SDA decision processing unit (183; 193; 203), at least one FA decision processing unit (185; 195; 204) and at least one FA destined message control processing unit (186-­188; 196-199; 205-207), said transmission/reception control processor being operable to detect and compare a DA in a message on said transmission line with a DA of its own terminal and upon occurrence of coincidence of DA, transfer the received message to said received message control processor, said SDA decision processing unit being operable to detect and compare a SDA in the message received from said transmission/reception control processor with its own SDA and transfer the message to said FA decision processing unit, said FA decision processing unit being operable to detect and compare a FA in the message received from said SDA decision processing unit with its own FA and transfer the message to a designated FA destined message control processing unit, said designated FA destined message control processing unit being operable to analyze the message received from said FA decision processing unit.