Integrated transducer data system

• US 7,386,412 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Original Assignee: Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company)
• Inventors: Basinger, Mark J., Luchini, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Raymond; Edward
• Application Number:
  US11/284,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 702/126, 702182-185, 702/117, 702/118, 702/188, 324/76.11, 709/213
• US Class Current: 702/118
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/02 Measuring two or more variables by means not covered by a single other subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/026 arrangements for monitoring a plurality of temperatures, e.g. by multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/2256 involving digital counting
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/2281 for temperature variations
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 17/005 using a sensor contacting the exterior surface, e.g. for measuring deformation

Abstract

An improved sensor module assembly to be used in an array for measuring the distribution of forces, displacements, or temperatures or other physically measurable quantity of an article being tested or measured. A programmable digital processor is installed at each sensor and connected between transducers and a digital bus. This integrated transducer digital processor can send data as high fidelity, digital signals with commensurately low noise to another digital processor. The integrated transducer digital processor can also send and receive other digital information, allowing communication of commands and data among processors, including a larger, centralized, digital processor which may be employed to read and store the digital data signals.

Claims

1. A system for integrating a sensor, transducers, and a digital processor comprising:

a sensor that is responsive to changes in input forces, temperature, or other physical quantity;

one or more transducers integrated with said sensor to convert the sensor responses to analog electrical signals;

conductors carrying said analog electrical signals from said transducers to a digital signal processor, said digital signal processor converting said analog electrical signals to digital signals, said transducers being connected to and integrated with the digital signal processor;

a digital bus circuit for receiving said digital signals; and

means included with said digital signal processor for placing data from said sensor onto said digital bus circuit with coded identification of the sensor or transducer supplying the data or the time the data was collected,

said digital signal processor including means for placing data from the analog electrical signal of said sensor onto said bus circuit after modification of the digital data for zero offset by addition or subtraction of an input or computed offset of zero or more.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said bus circuit utilizes a standardized communication network protocol.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein said digital signal processor includes means for placing data from the analog electrical signal of said sensor onto said bus circuit after modification of the digital data for linearity.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein said means includes a digital representation of a function, said function including a thermocouple linearization function or a computed function.

5. A system according to claim 4 wherein said computed function is based upon mathematical or statistical analysis of said digital data.

6. A system according to claim 1 further including a plurality of digital bus circuits connected to said integrated transducers, a plurality of digital signal processors, a digital bus circuit connected to each of said digital signal processors with means for conducting the digital signals from the digital bus circuit of said integrated transducers to another computer for storage or further processing.

7. A system according to claim 1 further including means for conducting the digital signal processor output to a communication or display device, said means including a digital bus circuit.

8. A system for integrating a sensor, with one or more transducers, together with a digital processor comprising:

a single sensor that is responsive to changes in input forces, temperature, or other physical quantity;

one or more transducers, integrated with said sensor, that convert the sensor responses to analog electrical signals;

a digital signal processor integrated with the integrated sensor-transducers; and

means included with said digital signal processor for converting the analog electrical signals to digital signals and for placing data from said sensor onto a digital bus circuit with coded identification of the sensor or transducer supplying the data,

said digital signal processor including means for placing data from the analog electrical signal of said sensor onto said bus circuit after modification of the digital data for zero offset by addition or subtraction of an input or computed offset of zero or more.

9. A system according to claim 8 wherein said bus circuit is a standardized communication network protocol.

10. A system according to claim 9 wherein said standardized communication protocol is a member selected from the group consisting of a controller area network (CAN) chip and an RS485 chip.

11. A system according to claim 8 wherein said digital signal processor includes means for placing data from the analog electrical signal of said sensor onto said bus circuit after modification of the digital data for linearity.

12. A system according to claim 8, wherein said digital signal processor includes a digital representation of a function, said function including a thermocouple linearization function or a computed function.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein said computed function is based upon mathematical or statistical analysis of said digital data.

14. A system according to claim 8, further including a plurality of digital bus circuits each connected to one of a plurality said integrated transducers, a digital bus circuit connected to each of said digital signal processors with means for conducting the digital signals from the digital bus circuit to a computer for storage or further processing.

15. A system according to claim 8 further including a digital bus circuit for conducting the digital signal processor output to a communication or display device.

16. A system for integrating a sensor, transducers, and a digital processor comprising:

a sensor that is responsive to changes in input forces, temperature, or other physical quantity;

one or more transducers integrated with said sensor to convert the sensor responses to analog electrical signals;

conductors carrying said analog electrical signals from said transducers to a digital signal processor, said digital signal processor converting said analog electrical signals to digital signals, said transducers being connected to and integrated with the digital signal processor;

a digital bus circuit for receiving said digital signals; and

means included with said digital signal processor for placing data from said sensor onto said digital bus circuit with coded identification of the sensor or transducer supplying the data or the time the data was collected,

said digital signal processor including means for placing data from the analog electrical signal of said sensor onto said bus circuit after modification of the digital data for scale by multiplication or division of an input or computed scale factor of one or more.

17. A system according to claim 16 wherein said digital signal processor includes a digital representation of a function, said function including a thermocouple linearization function or a computed function.

18. A system according to claim 17 wherein said computed function is based upon mathematical or statistical analysis of said digital data.

19. A system according to claim 16 further including a plurality of digital bus circuits connected to said integrated transducers, a plurality digital signal processors, a digital bus circuit connected to each of said digital signal processors with means for conducting the digital signals from the digital bus circuit of said integrated transducers to another computer for storage or further processing.

20. A system according to claim 16 wherein said bus circuit is a standardized communication network protocol.

21. A system according to claim 16 wherein said digital signal processor includes means for placing data from the analog electrical signal of said sensor onto said bus circuit after modification of the digital data for linearity.