Intelligent input/output temperature sensor and calibration method therefor

• US 6,283,628 B1
• Filed: 09/11/1998
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sensata Technologies Massachusetts Incorporated (Sensata Technologies Holding Plc)
• Original Assignee: Airpax LLC (Sensata Technologies Holding Plc)
• Inventors: Goodwin, Shaun
• Primary Examiner(s): Gutierrez, Diego
• Assistant Examiner(s): VERBITSKY, GAIL KAPLAN
• Application Number:
  US09/151,305
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 374/1, 374/170, 374/169, 374/183, 327/512
• US Class Current: 374/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 15/00 Testing or calibrating of thermometers

Abstract

An intelligent input/output (I/O) temperature sensor includes a temperature sensing element which generates a plurality of digital data indicative of the temperature at the temperature sensing element, a processor directly coupled to the temperature sensing element which generates a plurality of compensated digital data from respective the digital data and a digital delta value, and a memory directly coupled to the processor which stores the digital delta value and the compensated digital data. According to one aspect of the invention, the memory is an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM). According to another aspect of the invention, the memory, the temperature sensing element and the processor are all disposed within a unified structure, i.e., on a single chip. A method for calibrating an intelligent input/output (I/O) temperature sensor is also described.

Claims

1. A method for calibrating an intelligent input/output (I/O) temperature sensor, the temperature sensor having a temperature sensing element which generates a plurality of digital data samples indicative of the temperature proximate to the temperature sensing element;

a digital processor directly coupled to said temperature sensing element which generates a plurality of compensated digital data from said samples and a digital compensation value;

a rewritable memory directly coupled to said processor which persistently stores, in updatable fashion, said digital compensation value and data representing the plurality of digital data samples, operatively coupled to a programming device; and

a multi-master communication interface for communicating said digital data and at least one instruction for the digital processor with a communication bus of a sensor network, wherein said temperature sensing element, said digital processor and said memory are formed on a single substrate, said method comprising the steps of;

determining an actual temperature first digital data indicative of an actual temperature measured by the temperature sensor;

reading uncompensated temperature second digital data from said temperature sensing element;

calculating the digital compensation value based on said first and second digital data;

storing said digital compensation value in said memory for subsequent use by said digital processor;

storing data representing a plurality of digital historical temperature data samples in said memory; and

communicating said digital data and information defining the digital compensation value through the multi-master communication interface and the sensor network with said programming device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said memory comprises an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), and wherein said storing step comprises storing said digital compensation value in said EEPROM for subsequent use by said processor in generating the compensated digital data.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said calculating step is performed by said programming device.