Thermally feedable transmitter and sensor system

• US 7,392,022 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2002
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: EnOcean GmbH
• Original Assignee: EnOcean GmbH
• Inventors: Bulst, Wolf-Eckhart, Schmidt, Frank, Pistor, Klaus, Albsmeier, Andre, Seisenberger, Claus, Sczesny, Oliver, Vossiek, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong; Quochien B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan; Richard
• Application Number:
  US10/478,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20040242169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: 455/91, 455/115.1, 455/127.1, 340/870.21, 340/539.26, 340/443, 340/500, 340/870.01
• US Class Current: 455/127.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/14 Supports; Fastening devices; Arrangements for mounting thermometers in particular locations
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2207/06 for preparation purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2215/00 Details concerning sensor power supply

Abstract

The transmitter which can be fed thermally has at least one heat transducer element (1) with a downstream voltage transformer (3) and logic assembly (4) as well as a data transmission unit (5, 6), and is characterized in that the logic assembly (4) is designed on a ULP basis, and the data transmission unit (5, 6) transmits a broadband signal.

Claims

1. A transmitter which can be fed thermally, comprising:

at least one heat transducer element having a downstream voltage transformer, said downstream voltage transformer transforming voltage of the at least one heat transducer element into a constant voltage level having at least a short time period;

a logic assembly configured on an ultra low power basis, said logic assembly being connected to the voltage transformer and having sequence control; and

a data transmission unit connected to the logic assembly, said data transmission unit transmitting a broadband signal.

2. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the logic assembly configured on the ultra low power basis has a power consumption of less than 10 mW.

3. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein a bandwidth of the broadband signal is more than 100 kHz.

4. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the logic assembly includes a clock timer comprising an LC resonant circuit or an RC resonant circuit.

5. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one heat transducer element is a thermal transducer by which thermal energy is convertible into electrical energy based on thermoelectric principles.

6. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one heat transducer element is a pyroelectric transducer by which thermal energy is convertible into electrical energy based on pyroelectric principles.

7. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein a rectifier circuit is disposed subsequent to the at least one heat transducer element.

8. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an additional electrical power supply which comprises a solar cell.

9. The transmitter as claimed in one claim 1, wherein electrical energy emitted from the at least one heat transducer element is storable in at least one electrical energy storage element.

10. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the voltage transformer is operable on a clocked basis.

11. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data transmission unit includes a frequency-determining component comprising a SAW resonator.

12. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the logic assembly is connected to at least one sensor.

13. The transmitter as claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least one sensor is an accumulating sensor.

14. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission unit is a radio-frequency transmission stage by which a radio-frequency signal at a frequency of more than 1 MHz is transmittable.

15. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a delay apparatus disposed between the logic assembly and a transmission antenna of the data transmission unit.

16. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the logic assembly is connected to memory, in which an identification code is stored.

17. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitter is operated such that a transmission message is transmitted within a time period of 0.3 ms to 5 ms.

18. The transmitter as claimed in claim 17, wherein two or more transmission messages are transmitted successively.

19. The transmitter as claimed in claim 18, wherein at least one of a time interval and a frequency of the transmission messages are variably adjustable with respect to each other.

20. The transmitter as claimed in claim 17, wherein information in the transmission message is scrambled.

21. The transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitter enables one of heating, cooking and system engineering.

22. A system for at least one of monitoring and control, comprising:

the at least one transmitter as claimed in claim 1; and

at least one unit for at least one of indicating data which is transmitted from the at least one transmitter and controlling at least one apparatus which is monitored by the transmitter, based on received data.

23. The system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the system performs temperature monitoring.

24. The transmitter as claimed in claim 2, wherein a bandwidth of the broadband signal is more than 100 kHz.

25. The transmitter as claimed in claim 24, wherein the bandwidth is between 300 kHz and 600 kHz.

26. The transmitter as claimed in claim 3, wherein the bandwidth is between 300 kHz and 600 kHz.

27. The transmitter as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one electrical energy storage element is a capacitor or a rechargeable battery.

28. The transmitter as claimed in claim 14, wherein the frequency is between 100 MHz and 30 GHz.

29. The transmitter as claimed in claim 17, wherein the time period is between 0.5 ms and 2 ms.

30. The transmitter as claimed in claim 20, wherein the information in the transmission message is scrambled if two or more transmission messages are scrambled differently.

31. The system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the temperature monitoring comprises one of cooking area and system monitoring.