Method for transmitting data from at lest one sensor to a control unit

• US 20030184447A1
• Filed: 03/29/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Kohn, Oliver, Ulmer, Michael, Schomacker, Jochen, Gerngross, Ingbert, Ohl, Christian, Nitsche, Gerald, Ullmann, Dirk, Otterbach, Jens
• Granted Patent: US 6,943,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/854.9
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/02 in which the signal transmitted is magnitude of current or voltage G08C19/36, G08C19/38 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/50 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via two-conductor transmission lines H04B3/54 takes precedence

Abstract

Proposed is a method for transmitting data from at least one sensor to a control unit via an appropriate two-wire line, the method being used to identify any sensor at the control unit and to implement a plurality of logical channels via the appropriate two-wire line. The at least one sensor receives the necessary electrical energy from the control unit via the two-wire line and then transmits the sensor-specific data.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data from at least one sensor (6, 7, 8) to a control unit (1), one line, in particular a two-wire line (5), being used for each sensor (6, 7, 8) for transmitting the data, the at least one sensor (6, 7, 8) receiving electrical energy necessary for its operation from the control unit (1) via the appropriate line (5),

wherein the at least one sensor (6, 7, 8) transmits a sensor identification, a status identification, and sensor values as data to the control unit (1) after receiving the electrical energy.

2. The method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the control unit (1) checks the line (5) and/or the energy absorption of the at least one sensor (6, 7, 8) prior to the sensor identification.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2,

wherein the used transmission protocol, the sensor type, and sensor manufacturing data of the at least one sensor (6, 7, 8) are transmitted as the sensor identification.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 or 3,

wherein data words (D0 through . . . Dn), which are each preceded by an identification code (ID0 . . . IDn), are transmitted as the sensor identification.

5. The method as recited in claim 4,

wherein the data words (D0 . . . Dn) are combined with the corresponding identification code (ID0 . . . IDn) to form an identification block (ID block), and the identification block (ID block) is repeatedly transmitted to the control unit (1) a predefined number of times.

6. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein the sensor values are transmitted in a resolution predefined for the particular sensor.

7. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein the sensor values of the at least one sensor (6, 7, 8) are transmitted in time-division multiplex, so that at least two logical channels are available for transmitting the sensor values.

8. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein the sensor values have fields that render it possible to identify the sensor values.

9. The method as recited in claim 8,

wherein the highest-value bits of the sensors are used as the fields for identifying the sensor values.

10. A device for implementing the method as recited in one of claims 1 through 9,

wherein the device has a control unit (1) and at least one sensor (6, 7, 8), which is able to be connected to the control unit (1) via a line (5) allocated to the sensor (6, 7, 8), the control unit (1) having a receive module (3) for receiving the data from the at least one sensor (6, 7, 8) or at least one the sensor a transmit module (9) for transmitting the data to the control unit (1).

11. A sensor as recited in claim 10,

wherein the sensor (6, 7, 8) has more than one sensory design (13, 14), one logical channel being assigned to each sensory design (13, 14) for transmitting to the control unit.