Siemens Industry, Inc.

Bob Farmer

Glen Eugene Schmidt

Ray Dean Shepherd

Gregory J Golden

Michel J Baillargeon

Thomas Burghardt

A system and method for providing a serial communication bus is disclosed. A serial communication bus connects multiple footprint devices, such as electronic sensors in a process control sample system. The footprint devices can utilize various footprint device specific communication protocols. Multiple tophat devices act as general I/O ports for connecting with the footprint devices. Each tophat device identifies the footprint device specific communication protocol of a connected footprint device, converts outputs signals transmitted from the connected footprint device from the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device to a standard bus communication protocol, and converts input signals directed to the connected footprint device from the standard bus communication protocol to the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device. The serial communication bus connects the tophat devices and transmits input and output signals using the standard bus communication protocol.

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Bartlesville, OK, United States of America

Bob Farmer