Modular wireless integrated network sensor (WINS) node with a dual bus architecture

• US 7,046,166 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2003
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyworks Solutions Incorporated, Teledyne Scientific & Imaging, LLC (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Scientific Licensing LLC (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: McIntire, Dustin, Gould, Gary, Clare, Loren, Agre, Jonathan, Twarowski, Allen, Duncan, James, Pedyash, Maxim, Panov, Victor, Romanov, Nikolai
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jr., Timothy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yacob, Sisay
• Application Number:
  US10/426,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20040217881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.07, 340/690, 340/539.1, 340/870.16, 340/870.01, 340/870.08, 702/16, 702/14, 735/77, 732/86, 701/13
• US Class Current: 340/870.07
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A modular sensing station architecture that supports flexible power management includes one or more sensors connected to a WINS node. Each node includes power supply, data acquisition, programmable microprocessor and wireless transceiver modules that communicate data and instructions over a bus. The bus suitably includes a signal bus for communicating instructions and low bandwidth data and a high-capacity data bus for transferring high bandwidth data and executing high power tasks. The dual bus approach provides constant communications among the modules and low-capacity data transfer with the option to activate the high-power circuits or tasks only as needed.

Claims

1. A wireless sensing station, comprising:

a dual-bus, comprising,

a signal bus for communicating instructions and low bandwidth data, and

a high-capacity bus for communicating high bandwidth data,

a power supply module that supplies at least one reference voltage at a plurality of current levels,

a power bus for distributing the reference voltage,

a sensor that provides an output indicative of a sensed condition,

a data acquisition module having a plurality of components coupled to receive the sensor output and configured to produce a digital output based upon the sensor condition, said module connected to the dual-bus and power bus and configured to (a) send and receive instructions and low bandwidth data over the signal bus at a low current level drawn from the power bus and (b) selectively enable module components that draw higher current levels from the power bus to acquire and send high bandwidth data over the high-capacity bus,

a CPU module connected to the dual-bus and power bus to send instructions to said data acquisition module and to receive and evaluate its digital output, and

a transceiver module connected to the dual-bus and power bus that receives data and instructions for programming said CPU module and transmits information about the sensed condition.

2. The wireless sensing station of claim 1, wherein the power bus distributes a single reference voltage to the modules.

3. The wireless sensing station of claim 2, wherein at least one of said modules comprises a DC/DC converter to step the reference voltage to an internal module voltage.

4. The wireless sensing station of claim 1, wherein the power bus sources electrical current at at least two levels for each said reference voltage.

5. The wireless sensing station of claim 1, wherein the data acquisition module comprises a digital signal processor that processes the digital output.

6. The wireless sensing station of claim 1, wherein the data acquisition module comprises a power switch that is enabled via the signal bus.

7. The wireless sensing station of claim 1, wherein the signal bus is continuously enabled to maintain a minimum level of communications and data transfer capability and the high-capacity bus is selectively enabled to transfer high bandwidth data.

8. The wireless sensing station of claim 7, wherein the signal bus comprises 2–

6 address lines and 2–

6 control lines that support 2–

4 bit data and the high-capacity bus comprises 12–

20 address lines and 20–

28 control lines that support 16–

64 bit data.

9. A node, comprising:

a dual-bus, comprising,

a signal bus for communicating instructions and low bandwidth data, and

a high-capacity bus for communicating high bandwidth data,

a CPU module structurally connected to the dual-bus to issue control instructions over the signal bus, and

at least one module structurally connected to the dual-bus, said module comprising memory for storing data and at least one I/O device for acquiring data.

10. The wireless sensing station of claim 9, further comprising:

a plurality of connectors for connecting the respective modules to the dual-bus, and

at least one open connector configured for connecting at least one additional module to said dual-bus.

11. The node of claim 9, wherein the signal bus is continuously enabled to maintain a minimum level of communications and data transfer capability and the high-capacity bus is selectively enabled to transfer high bandwidth data.

12. The node of claim 11, wherein the signal bus comprises 2–

6 address lines and 2–

6 control lines that support 2–

4 bit data and the high-capacity bus comprises 12–

20 address lines and 20–

28 control lines that support 16–

64 bit data.

13. The node of claim 9, wherein said module further comprises a power switch configured to receive a control instruction from the CPU module via the signal bus to switch between low and higher power consuming modes.

14. The node of claim 9, further comprising a power bus for distributing at least one reference voltage to the modules.

15. The node of claim 14, wherein the power bus distributes a single reference voltage to the modules, said modules comprising a DC/DC converter to step the reference voltage to an internal module voltage.

16. The node of claim 9, further comprising a transceiver module that sends and receives data to and from the node.

17. A wireless sensing station, comprising:

a sensor which provides an output indicative of a sensed condition,

a data acquisition module coupled to receive the sensor output and configured to produce a digital output based upon said sensor condition,

a CPU module coupled to said data acquisition module to evaluate its digital output,

a transceiver module that receives data and instructions for programming said CPU module and transmits information about the sensed condition, and

a dual-bus, comprising,

a signal bus that is continuously enabled to maintain a minimum level of instructions and low bandwidth data transfer capability between the modules, and

a high-capacity bus that is selectively enabled to transfer high bandwidth data between the modules,

wherein said data acquisition and transceiver modules further comprise a power switch that selectively enables the respective modules to switch between a low power consuming mode in which the signal bus is used exclusively and a higher power consuming mode in which the high-capacity bus is enabled to transfer high bandwidth data.

18. The wireless sensing station of claim 17, wherein said power switch is configured to receive a control instruction from the CPU module via the signal bus to switch between said low and higher power consuming modes.

19. The wireless sensing station of claim 17, wherein the signal bus comprises 2–

6 address lines and 2–

6 control lines that support 2–

4 bit data and the high-capacity bus comprises 12–

20 address lines and 20–

28 control lines that support 16–

64 bit data.

20. The wireless sensing station of claim 17, further comprising:

a power bus; and

a power supply module that distributes a single reference voltage via the power bus to the modules, said CPU, data acquisition and transceiver modules further comprising a DC/DC converter to step the reference voltage to an internal module voltage.

21. The wireless sensing station of claim 17, wherein the dual-bus is provided by a plurality of bus connectors that interconnect the modules.

22. The wireless sensing station of claim 21, wherein at least one bus connector is unused for connecting at least one additional module to said bus.

23. A wireless node, comprising:

a dual-bus, comprising,

a signal bus for communicating instructions and low bandwidth data, and

a high-capacity bus for communicating high bandwidth data,

a power bus for distributing at least one reference voltage at a variable current level,

a first module connected to the dual-bus and power bus to issue control instructions over the signal bus, and

a second module connected to the dual-bus and power bus and comprising a plurality of components configured to acquire and transmit data, said module configured to ordinarily operate in a low power mode to receive control instructions from the first module over the signal bus and draw a low current level from the power bus and to selectively enable components to acquire and transmit high bandwidth data over the high-capacity bus and draw a higher current level from the power bus.

24. A node, comprising:

a dual-bus, comprising,

a signal bus for communicating instructions and low bandwidth data, and

a high-capacity bus for communicating high bandwidth data, and

a plurality of modules structurally connected to the dual-bus to transmit and receive instructions and data there between over the dual-bus.

25. The node of claim 24, wherein said plurality of modules comprises:

a data acquisition module that acquires data on a sensed condition; and

a transceiver module that transmits data about the sensed condition.