The serial communication apparatus of claim 13 wherein the delay between the slave input and slave output is k bytes, where k is the position of the slave in the daisy chain.ДЎ5. The serial communication apparatus of claim 12 configured such that: during the transmission of an initial communication frame each slave device is configured to determine its position in the daisy chain based on a delay between the slave input and slave output for that slave and thereafter during transmission of subsequent communication frames, data is passed by the slaves from their slave inputs to their slave outputs in the same clock cycle.ДЎ4. A serial communication apparatus, comprising: a master device having a master input and a master output and a plurality of slave devices, each comprising a slave input and a slave output, said plurality being arranged in a daisy chain configuration wherein a first slave device is arranged to receive data from the master output at its slave input and one or more successive slave devices are arranged to receive data from a slave output of a preceding slave device, wherein each slave device stores its identity to determine its position in the daisy chain of slave devices and during the transmission of a communication frame data is passed from a slave input to a slave output in the same clock cycle.ДЎ3. The serial communication apparatus of claim 1, comprising a serial peripheral interface.ДЎ2. The serial communication apparatus of claim 9, configured such that: during the transmission of an initial communication frame, each slave device is configured to determine its position in the daisy chain based on a delay between the slave input and slave output for that slave and thereafter during transmission of subsequent communication frames, data is passed by the slaves from their slave inputs to their slave outputs in the same clock cycle.ДЎ1. The serial communication apparatus of claim 1, configured such that each slave device stores its identity to determine its position in the daisy chain of slave devices, and during transmission of a communication frame data, is passed from a slave input to a slave output in the same clock cycle.ДЎ0. The serial communication apparatus of claim 6, wherein the adjustment of the delay is set by a register in the slave device, which has a value that can be set to inform one slave to be byte-aligned.Д©.

The serial communication apparatus of claim 6, wherein the adjustment of the delay is set by a special command embedded in the communication frame, preferably in the address byte.ДЁ. The serial communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein a final slave device adjusts a delay to ensure that the input to the master device is byte-aligned.Д§. The serial communication apparatus of claim 3, wherein the single bit is held at a first logic value to indicate the beginning of a communication frame.Д¦. The serial communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sub-byte syllable comprises one bit.ДҐ. The serial communication apparatus of claim 2, wherein the triggered transmission of data from slave input to slave output commences before the remainder of the device address byte is received by the slave input.Д¤.

The serial communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication frame includes a device address byte defining a slave device address, and said sub-byte syllable is provided as an initial portion of said address byte.ДЈ. A serial communication apparatus, comprising: a master device having a master input and a master output and a plurality of slave devices, each comprising a slave input and a slave output, said plurality being arranged in a daisy chain configuration, wherein a first slave device is arranged to receive data from the master output at its slave input, and one or more successive slave devices are arranged to receive data from a slave output of a preceding slave device, wherein the master device is arranged to send a communication frame that comprises a sub-byte syllable which selectively triggers transmission of data from a slave input to a slave output.Дў.

P8 mms104 serial communication protocol