SENSOR ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD FOR CREATING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL

• US 20140096627A1
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PRÜFTECHNIK Dieter Busch GmbH (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: PRÜFTECHNIK Dieter Busch AG (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Lysen, Heinrich
• Granted Patent: US 10,018,488 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/865.8
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A sensor arrangement (10) includes a sensor (11) for a mechanical quantity or a thermal quantity, a processing circuit (12), which is connected at the input end to the sensor (11) and provides an output signal (SRF), which is processed for wireless transmission, and a cable (13), which is coupled to the processing circuit (12), to which the output signal (SRF) or a signal derived from the output signal (SRF) is supplied and which delivers a power supply to the processing circuit.

Claims

1. A sensor arrangement, comprising:

a sensor (11) for a mechanical quantity or a thermal quantity;

the sensor having an input end;

a processing circuit (12), which is connected at the input end to the sensor (11) and provides an output signal (SRF), which is processed for a wireless transmission; and

a cable (13), which is coupled to the processing circuit (12), and which feeds a power supply to the processing circuit (12) and to which the output signal (SRF) or a signal (SB, SF) derived from the output signal (SRF) is supplied.

2. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the output signal (SRF) is modulated according to at least one modulation process from a group comprising amplitude modulation, frequency modulation, and phase modulation.

3. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter (48) coupled to the cable (13) and including a modulator (50) for providing the output signal (SRF).

4. The sensor arrangement according to claim 3, further comprising:

a receiver (49) coupled to the cable (13) and including a demodulator (51).

5. The sensor arrangement according to claim 4, further comprising:

a switch (77), which is arranged between the transmitter (48), the receiver (49), and the cable (13).

6. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit (12) includes:

an analog/digital converter (29), which is coupled at the input end to a signal output of the sensor (11);

a processor (30), which is connected at the input end to the analog/digital converter (29); and

a memory (31), which is connected to the processor (30).

7. The sensor arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the content of the memory (31) can be modified by means of information transmitted by the cable (13) in an operation of the sensor arrangement (10).

8. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the cable (13) is a coaxial cable and the sensor arrangement (10) further includes a filter arrangement (14), which is connected to the processing circuit (12) and the cable (13) and is configured and arranged to generate a supply voltage (VDD) from a cable voltage (VK) applied between a lead (15) of the cable (13) and another lead (16) of the cable (13) and to deliver it to the processing circuit (12).

9. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the cable (13) is a one-core cable and has exactly one lead (15) and in which the sensor arrangement (10) further includes a filter arrangement (14), which is connected to the processing circuit (12) and the lead (15) and is designed to generate a supply voltage (VDD) from a cable voltage (VK) applied between the lead (15) and a reference potential terminal (20) or a ground terminal (85) of the sensor arrangement (10) and to deliver it to the processing circuit (12).

10. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit (12) includes a synchronization input (42), which is coupled to the cable (13), and is configured and arranged to produce a clock signal (CLK) and to synchronize the clock signal (CLK) with a synchronous trigger signal (SY) that can be tapped at the synchronization input (42).

11. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the sensor (11) includes at least one element from the group consisting of:

a vibration sensor element, an acceleration sensor element, a speed sensor element, a path sensor element, a temperature sensor element, a pressure sensor element, a rotational speed sensor element, an end position sensor element, and an angle sensor element.

12. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising:

an evaluation device (65) coupled to the sensor arrangement (10) via the cable (13) to provide a sensor bus system, wherein the communication between the evaluation device (65) and the sensor arrangement (10) occurs in a wired manner and free of a wireless transmission.

13. The sensor arrangement according to claim 12, further comprising:

an additional sensor arrangement (61, 62), which is connected to the sensor arrangement (10) via another cable (35, 90), wherein the communication between the evaluation device (65) and the additional sensor arrangement (61, 62) occurs in a wired manner and free of a wireless transmission.

14. A method for producing an output signal, comprising the steps of:

emitting a sensor signal (SE) by a sensor (11) for mechanical or thermal quantities,

producing of an output signal (SRF) from the sensor signal (SE) by means of a processing circuit (12), wherein the processing circuit (12) processes the output signal (SRF) for a wireless transmission, and emission of the output signal (SRF) or a signal (SB, SF) derived from the output signal (SRF) to a cable (13); and

introducing a power supply to the processing circuit (12) via the cable (13).

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the output signal (SRF) has a carrier frequency modulated corresponding to the data of the processed sensor signal (SE).