Wireless sensor system

• US 7,230,532 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2002
• Issued: 06/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EnOcean GmbH
• Original Assignee: EnOcean GmbH
• Inventors: Bulst, Wolf-Eckhart, Sczesny, Oliver, Pistor, Klaus, Albsmeier, Andre, Schmidt, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLOUNT, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US10/492,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20050030177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.26
• US Class Current: 340/539.26
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 39/042 by measuring the incident light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/00 Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps

Abstract

A sensor system (S, S′) having a least one voltage generator (1, 11, 12, 13) for conversion of non-electrical energy to electrical energy. At least one energy store (2) is connected downstream from the voltage generator (1, 11, 12, 13). At least one voltage converter (3) is connected to the energy store (2) such that its output signal is suitable for operation of a processor controller (4). At least one sensor (7, 71) is provided, and at least one transmitter (5) enables wire-free transmission of transmission messages which can be produced by the processor controller (4) and which contain at least one measured value from the at least one sensor (7, 71). A timer circuit (6) is provided, which can be triggered as a function of a voltage level of the at least one energy store (2), and which activates the sensor system (S) in order to transmit at least one transmission message after a specific time interval.

Claims

1. A sensor system (S, S′

) comprising;

at least one voltage generator (1, 11, 12, 13) for conversion of non-electrical energy to electrical energy,

at least one energy store (2) coupled to the voltage generator (1, 11, 12, 13),

a processor controller (4),

at least one voltage converter (3) having an input coupled to the energy store (2) and an output coupled to said processor controller (4),

at least one sensor (7, 71) coupled to said processor controller,

at least one wire free transmitter (5) coupled to an output of said processor controller for wire-free transmission of transmission messages from said processor controller (4) which contain at least one measured value from the at least one sensor (7, 71), wherein a timer circuit (6) is provided, to be triggered as a function of a voltage level of the at least one energy store (2) to activate the sensor system (S), a specific time interval after being triggered, in order to transmit at least one transmission message.

2. The sensor system (S, S′

) as claimed in claim 1, in which at least one voltage generator (1) is a solar cell (11).

3. The sensor system (S, S′

) as claimed in claim 1, in which the at least one voltage generator (1) is a piezoelectric transducer (12), and/or an inductive converter (13).

4. The sensor system (S, S′

) as claimed in claim 1, in which the timer circuit (6) has semiconductor modules based on Ultra Low Power (ULP) technology.

5. The sensor system (S, S′

) as claimed in claim 1, in which the transmission message also contains at least one identification code.

6. The sensor system (S, S′

) as claimed in claim 1, in which the time interval can be set variably, in particular by means of the timer circuit (6).

7. The sensor system (S, S′

) as claimed in claim 1, in which the sensor (7, 71) is a part of the voltage generator (1, 11, 12, 13).

8. A monitoring system comprising at least one sensor system (S, S′

) as claimed in claim 1, and at least one receiving and evaluation system (R).

9. Use of the sensor system (S, S′

) as claimed in claim 1, for position finding or for determination of an illumination intensity.

10. A method for setting the time interval for a sensor system (S, S′

) as claimed in claim 1, the method comprising;

checking a state of charge of the energy store; and

including the state of charge in a definition of the transmission frequency per unit time.