Systems and methods for identifying sensor location

• US 10,562,472 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2018
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Inventors: Raghunath, Ganesh, Joshi, Alok A., Li, Shu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bolourchi, Nader
• Application Number:
  US15/869,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20180201206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0232 for measuring vehicle parameters and indicating critical, abnormal or dangerous conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/12 using record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25062 Detect physical location of field device
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33192 Radio link, wireless
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

Systems and apparatuses include a passive device coupled to a mounting boss arranged on a vehicle system, and a sensor structured to engage the mounting boss. The sensor includes a probe structured to sense a characteristic of the vehicle system, and a reader structured to send a query signal to the passive device and receive location data from the passive device associated with the mounting boss.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a sensor including;

a probe structured to sense a characteristic of a vehicle system;

a reader structured to send a query signal wirelessly and receive location data from a passive device associated with a sensor mounting position; and

a communication bus in communication with the probe and the reader and structured to communicate the characteristic and the location data to a vehicle controller.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reader is a Radio-Frequency Identification reader and the passive device is a passive Radio-Frequency Identification transponder.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reader is a requesting unit and the passive device is a surface acoustic wave transponder.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reader communicates with the passive device within a range between about two millimeters (2 mm) and about thirty millimeters (30 mm).

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication bus includes a first port structured to receive signals from the vehicle controller, a second port structured to send the characteristic to the vehicle controller, and a third port structured to send the location data to the vehicle controller.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication bus includes a first port structured to receive signals from the vehicle controller, and a second port structured to send the characteristic and the location data to the vehicle controller.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the probe is a heated exhaust gas oxygen probe.

8. A system comprising:

a passive device coupled to a mounting boss arranged on a vehicle system; and

a sensor structured to engage the mounting boss and including;

a probe structured to sense a characteristic of the vehicle system; and

a reader structured to send a query signal to the passive device and receive location data from the passive device coupled to the mounting boss.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sensor further includes a communication bus in communication with the probe and the reader and structured to communicate the characteristic and the location data to a vehicle controller.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the reader is a Radio-Frequency Identification reader and the passive device is a passive Radio-Frequency Identification transponder.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the reader is a requesting unit and the passive device is a surface acoustic wave transponder.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the passive device and the reader define a predetermined communication range.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the communication range is between about two millimeters (2 mm) and about thirty millimeters (30 mm).

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the passive device and the reader communicate wirelessly.

15. A method comprising:

installing a sensor in a mounting boss of a vehicle system;

sending a query from a reader of the sensor to a passive device associated with the mounting boss;

receiving the query with the passive device;

sending location data from the passive device to the reader;

sending the location data from the reader to a vehicle controller;

sending sensor output signals from the sensor to the vehicle controller; and

associating the location data with the sensor output signals in the vehicle controller.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein sending the query includes sending a radio-frequency signal from a reader antenna to the passive device, and wherein the passive device is a Radio-Frequency Identification transponder that sends the location data back to the reader antenna in response to the radio-frequency signal.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein sending the query includes sending a radio-frequency signal from a reader antenna to the passive device, and wherein the passive device is a surface acoustic wave transponder that sends the location data back to the reader antenna in response to the radio-frequency signal.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein sending the location data includes sending a predetermined voltage to the vehicle controller via a sensor output wire.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the predetermined voltage is sent during a predetermined time window.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the predetermined voltage is sent during a key-on condition.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the predetermined voltage is a constant voltage that identifies the sensor location.