METHOD FOR OPERATING A SENSOR SYSTEM, SENSOR SYSTEM AND MEASUREMENT SIGNAL

• US 20170003143A9
• Filed: 08/19/2015
• Published: 01/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Balluff Verwaltungsges mbH
• Original Assignee: Balluff Verwaltungsges mbH
• Inventors: Burkhardt, Thomas, Bauer, Ralph
• Granted Patent: US 9,897,463 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 13/06 Means to sense or control vehicle position or attitude with respect to railway
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/003 for measuring position, not involving coordinate determination coordinate measuring G01B7/004
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/00 Indicating or recording apparatus with provision for the special purposes referred to in the subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/00 Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member; Means for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for converting; Transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable G01D3/00 takes precedence; specially adapted for apparatus giving results other than momentary value of variable G01D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/14 influencing the magnitude of a current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/145 influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields see G01R33/06

Abstract

The invention proposes a method for operating a sensor system comprising at least one sensor unit which provides signals, in which the signals comprise primary measurement value signals which are measurement values of the sensor unit or are generated from measurement values of the sensor unit and in which the signals comprise coefficient signals which characterize the measurement value capture.

Claims

1. Method for operating a sensor system comprising at least one sensor unit which provides signals, in which the signals comprise primary measurement value signals which are measurement values of the sensor unit or are generated from measurement values of the sensor unit and in which the signals comprise coefficient signals which characterize the measurement value capture.

2. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the primary measurement value signals are electrical signals which are measurement values of, or are generated from, one or more physical quantities.

3. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the coefficients which are contained in the coefficient signals characterize at least one of (i) what margin, (ii) what security and (iii) what quality exists in the measurement value capture.

4. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the primary measurement value signals and the coefficient signals are transmitted on different channels.

5. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the primary measurement value signals and the coefficient signals are transmitted in attached relationship with each other and are in particular transmitted on a single channel.

6. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the coefficient signals are permanently transmitted and are in particular transmitted at the same data rate as that of the primary measurement value signals.

7. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the coefficient signals are transmitted at a data rate that is less than that of the measurement value signals and are in particular transmitted at certain events, such as startup or shutdown of the sensor system or service calls related to the sensor system.

8. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the coefficient signals and the primary measurement value signals are transmitted in analog form and in particular wherein the coefficient signals are modulated onto the primary measurement value signals.

9. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the primary measurement value signals and the coefficient signals are transmitted in serial digital form.

10. Method in accordance with claim 9, wherein a primary measurement value signal is transmitted as a digital datum comprising a plurality of data bits, in particular wherein the individual data bits are requested and output with respective clock impulses.

11. Method in accordance with claim 10, wherein a number of the data bits requested and output is defined by clock impulses of a controller.

12. Method in accordance with claim 9, wherein a coefficient signal is attached to the datum of the associated primary measurement value signal as a digital datum comprising data bits and is in particular attached to said datum in such a manner that it follows the latter in time.

13. Method in accordance with claim 12, wherein a number of associated clock periods of the primary measurement value signal with n data bits with attached coefficient signal with m data bits is n+m.

14. Method in accordance with claim 10, wherein at least one of the datum of the measurement value signal and the datum of the coefficient signal comprises one or more extra bits and comprises in particular at least one of (i) one or more error bits, (ii) one or more warning bits and (iii) one or more check bits.

15. Method in accordance with claim 14, wherein a measurement value signal datum is provided with CRC bits and CRC bits are attached to the coefficient signal datum as well.

16. Method in accordance with claim 15, wherein a number of the clock periods for measurement value signals with n data bits with attached coefficient signal with m data bits and with q data bits for a CRC datum is n+m+2q.

17. Method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the primary measurement value signals and the coefficient signals are transmitted according to SSI interface or BiSS-C interface.

18. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein primary measurement value signals are transmitted as analog or digital increments.

19. Method in accordance with claim 18, wherein coefficient signals are transmitted as increments with a time distance apart that is less than the time distance between increments of the primary measurement value signals.

20. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein transmission of the coefficient signals is such that a superordinate controller can decide whether or not it evaluates the coefficient signals.

21. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a signal chain comprising primary measurement value signals and coefficient signals is formed such that there is provided a capability of selecting whether or not coefficients are read out.

22. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein coefficient signals are determined at the sensor system without the use of additional monitoring sensors and in particular wherein one or more sensors of the at least one sensor unit are used for the determination of coefficients.

23. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein in a sensor system in which the time period between certain two zero-crossings is measured as a primary measurement value signal, a maximum signal level between the zero-crossings results in the coefficient.

24. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein measurement values are captured from a plurality of signals of the at least one sensor unit.

25. Method in accordance with claim 24, wherein a check is performed as to whether on a certain zero-crossing of an analog first sensor signal, a digital second signal is in high state and wherein, in this case, a measurement signal is generated, in particular as a falling edge of a digital signal.

26. Method in accordance with claim 25, wherein a coefficient signal is generated from the length of the second sensor signal at HIGH and the position thereof relative to the zero-crossing.

27. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein in a magnetostrictive displacement measuring system, a position value is derived from a voltage signal and an amplitude of the voltage signal forms a coefficient signal, in particular wherein the amplitude is determined via the adjustment of an automatic gain control circuitry.

28. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein in a magnetically encoded displacement measuring system, a coefficient signal is determined from at least one of (i) an amplitude or amplitude ratio of magnetic sensor signals and (ii) a phase or phase ratio of magnetic sensor signals.

29. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein in a sensor system comprising a plurality of sensor units, the measurement value of the sensor unit that has the highest coefficient is used.

30. Sensor system, comprising at least one sensor unit which provides measurement values for primary measurement value signals and comprising a coefficient determining unit which generates coefficient signals that characterize the measurement value capture.

31. Sensor system in accordance with claim 30, wherein a signal generating unit is provided which connects coefficient signals to primary measurement value signals.

32. Sensor system in accordance with claim 30, wherein the coefficient determining unit generates the coefficient signals without the use of additional monitoring sensors.

33. Measurement signal of a sensor system, comprising a primary measurement value signal and a coefficient signal which characterizes the measurement value capture.

34. Measurement signal in accordance with claim 33, wherein the primary measurement value signal is a digital serial signal and the coefficient signal is attached as a digital datum to the primary measurement value signal.