A laboratory sample distribution system comprising sample container carriers, a central controller having a network interface, and transport modules is presented. Each transport module comprises a transport surface, wherein the transport surfaces form a transport plane, a controllable driver arranged below the transport surface and configured to move sample container carriers on the transport surface, and a control unit for controlling the driver. The control unit comprises a network interface. The central controller and the control units of the transport modules are connected by their corresponding network interfaces. Each control unit comprises first and second addressing terminals. The addressing terminals are connected sequentially in a daisy chain topology. The first addressing terminal is the first control unit in the sequence and is connected to a first reference potential and the second addressing terminal is the last control unit in the sequence and is connected to a second reference potential.

A power distributor having a first controller and having a number of connection modules which are connected thereto and are intended to be mounted on a supporting rail. The connection module has a number of lateral coupling contacts for the electrical and/or signalling contact connection to at least one further connection module which is attached or can be attached to the particular connection module, wherein a base resistor is connected in each case between two coupling contacts inside the module in such a manner that the base resistors of the attached connection modules form a resistor chain which is connected in series. The connection modules are each equipped or can be equipped with an actuatable circuit breaker. The circuit breakers have a second controller inside the circuit breaker for recording a voltage dropped across the respectively associated base resistor.

A communication system includes a communication device functioning as a master device and a plurality of slave devices communicably connected to the communication device via a communication line, the communication device setting a prescribed address in an added slave device based on a position of the added slave device in a topology composed of a plurality of slave devices, judging whether a change has possibly occurred in the topology when the prescribed address is set in the added slave device, if there is an erroneously set slave device whose address was erroneously set, specifying that slave device, when it is judged that a change has possibly occurred, and resetting the address of the specified erroneously set slave device to an original address.

A cargo handling system may have power drive unit (PDU), which may include a motor and a PDU controller. The PDU controller may be in communication with the motor and configured to receive a command signal including an address corresponding to a location of the PDU. The PDU controller may comprise a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader. The PDU controller may be configured to determine the location of the PDU by reading an RFID tag.

A control system for a wind turbine is provided. The control system includes a plurality of controllers distributed in the wind turbine or the wind power plant; and a plurality of data storage units, each data storage unit being arranged at a respective predetermined position in the wind turbine or the wind power plant and being coupled to the controller arranged at the same position; wherein each data storage unit comprises operational information pertaining to the predetermined position in the wind turbine or the wind power plant; and wherein each controller is configured to read the operational information of the corresponding data storage unit and to determine its function from the operational information.

The present invention concerns a method for the configuration of a network with network addresses, wherein the network consists of at least one central computer and a plurality of fans, which can communicate via a bus system in wired and/or wireless manner with the central computer, wherein each fan has a rewritable memory and a RFID interface for communication with a preferably mobile communications device, wherein the serial number of the respective fan is saved in its memory and the serial number can be read out by the communications device in the nonoperational voltage-free state of the particular fan.