Electrical transducer

• US 7,496,458 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2002
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: I F M Electronic GmbH
• Original Assignee: I F M Electronic GmbH
• Inventors: Wagner, Alfred, Walter, Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): West; Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US10/051,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20020145528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,590 Days
• Field of Search: 702/57, 702/64, 702/65, 702/85, 702/86, 702/87, 702/88, 702/98, 702/104, 702/116, 702/138, 702/139, 702/140, 702/50, 73/15.9, 73/16.1, 73/16.2, 73/16.3, 73/16.4
• US Class Current: 702/57
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/024 for range change; Arrangements for substituting one sensing member by another

Abstract

An electrical transducer has a sensor outputting a value corresponding to the quantity to be measured, an analog end stage connected downstream of the sensor, a processor circuit, and an analog measurement signal transmission path. The end stage converts the sensor output signal into an impressed output current related to the magnitude of the quantity measured, the electronic transducer being controlled with the processor circuit. The electrical transducer can be scaled by the user, has low inherent power consumption and ensures high response speed because the processor circuit in normal operation is shifted temporarily into a sleep mode, in the analog measurement signal transmission path an analog scaling unit is inserted, the output signal of the sensor and at least one analog setting value are supplied to the analog scaling unit, and the output signal of the analog scaling unit is supplied to the analog end stage.

Claims

1. An electrical transducer using a two-wire process comprising:

an analog sensor that detects a quantity to be measured;

an analog end stage which is connected downstream of the sensor at the output end of the transducer;

a processor circuit; and

wherein the processor circuit is not connected serially between the sensor and the analog end stage so that a separate analog measurement signal transmission path is realized, the analog end stage converting an output signal of the sensor into an impressed output current with a magnitude which is a measure of the quantity to be measured and is fixed within a range of about 0 to 20 mA, the electrical transducer being controlled by the processor circuit, wherein during normal operation of the electrical transducer, the processor circuit is shifted temporarily from an awake mode into a sleep mode in which the processor circuit is inactive, the analog measurement signal transmission path including an analog scaling unit, the output signal of the sensor and at least one analog setting value are supplied to the analog scaling unit, and the output signal of the analog scaling unit is supplied to the analog end stage;

wherein the output signal of the sensor is routed past the processor circuit via the analog signal transmission path when the processor is in said sleep mode for enabling changes in the quantity being measured to be followed while the processor circuit is inactive;

wherein the processor circuit has an activity time in which the processor circuit is active which is shorter than the time that the processor circuit remains in the sleep mode;

wherein the analog scaling unit comprises an analog arithmetic circuit;

wherein said at least one analog setting value is a DC voltage signal or a direct current signal which is delivered to the analog arithmetic circuit of the analog scaling unit; and

wherein at least one active integrator is connected to the processor circuit and to the analog scaling unit as an actuator for producing said DC voltage signal or direct current signal.

2. The electrical transducer of claim 1, wherein the at least one active integrator is a component of a control circuit within the processor circuit.

3. The electrical transducer of claim 1, wherein the analog arithmetic circuit comprises at least one analog multiplier.

4. The electrical transducer of claim 3, wherein the at least one analog multiplier is a single quadrant multiplier.

5. The electrical transducer of claim 4, wherein an adder is connected to the input of the single quadrant multiplier, and a subtractor and an adder are connected to the output of the single quadrant multiplier.

6. The electrical transducer of claim 3, wherein the analog arithmetic circuit further comprises at least one subtractor and at least one adder.

7. The electrical transducer of claim 3, wherein the analog arithmetic circuit comprises a plurality of transistors and a plurality of operational amplifiers.

8. The electrical transducer of claim 1, further comprising a power source that produces a non-zero output current.

9. The electrical transducer of claim 1, further comprising an attenuator, having an adjustable time constant, connected between the analog scaling unit and the analog end stage.

10. The electrical transducer of claim 9, wherein the attenuator comprises a plurality of different RC elements which are selectively connectable via the processor circuit.

11. The electrical transducer of claim 9, wherein an analog error at the output of the attenuator is compensated by a control circuit.

12. The electrical transducer of claim 1,further comprising three power supply terminals, one of which is connected to a detector means so that when a predetermined power supply voltage is applied supply terminals, the transducer automatically switches to three-wire operation.

13. The electrical transducer of claim 12, wherein the detector means is connected to the processor circuit, and the processor circuit shifts permanently into the awake mode during three-wire operation.

14. The electrical transducer of claim 1 wherein the at least one active integrator is an actuator for said at least one direct current signal.

15. The electrical transducer of claim 1, wherein the impressed output current is fixed within a range of about 4 to 20 mA.

16. A method of producing an indication of a measured value with an electrical transducer via an output current which is proportional to the measured value, the transducer comprising a sensor, an analog end stage which is connected downstream of the sensor at the output end of the transducer, an electronic circuit which is connected downstream of the sensor, and a processor circuit which is not connected serially between the sensor and the analog end stage so that an analog measurement signal transmission path is realized, the electronic circuit converting an output signal of the sensor into an impressed output current with a level corresponding to the measured value and is fixed within a range of about 0 to 20 mA, the electrical transducer being programmed using the processor circuit, wherein during normal operation of the transducer, the processor circuit is shifted temporarily from an awake mode into a sleep mode in which the processor is inactive, the output signal of the sensor is supplied to an analog scaling unit, at least one analog setting value is supplied to the analog scaling unit, and the output signal of the analog scaling unit is supplied to the electronic circuit;

wherein the output signal of the sensor is routed past the processor circuit via the analog signal transmission path when the processor is in said sleep mode for enabling changes in the quantity being measured to be followed while the processor circuit is inactive;

wherein the processor circuit has an activity time in which the processor circuit is active which is shorter than the time that the processor circuit remains in the sleep mode;

wherein the analog scaling unit comprises an analog arithmetic circuit;

wherein said at least one analog setting value is a DC voltage signal or a direct current signal which is delivered to the analog arithmetic circuit of the analog scaling unit; and

wherein at least one active integrator is connected to the processor circuit and to the analog scaling unit as an actuator for producing said DC voltage signal or direct current signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the impressed output current is fixed within a range of about 4 to 20 mA.