Method of temperature sensing
First Claim
1. A method of diagnosing a temperature sensing system, the system including a temperature sensor, a field processing module coupled to the temperature sensor, a first bus, a second bus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the first bus and the second bus, the method comprising:
- generating a temperature characteristic at the temperature sensor;
processing the temperature characteristic at the field processing module;
generating field operating data including a temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the temperature characteristic;
communicating the field operating data including the temperature diagnostic parameter over the first bus from the field processing module to the auxiliary processing module;
generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of the received field operating data;
communicating the auxiliary field data over the second bus; and
wherein the temperature sensing system further includes a heater coupled to a heater power circuit and receiving heating power from a power supply, the heater power circuit having a first interface, a second interface, and an intermediate portion between the first interface and the second interface and a power controller coupled about the intermediate portion of the heater power circuit, the power controller having at least two states, a first state providing at least a portion of the power to the heater and a second state terminating power to the heater, said power controller including the temperature sensor and the field processing module.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of diagnosing a temperature sensing system having a temperature sensor, a field processing module coupled to the temperature sensor, a bitbus, a fieldbus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the bitbus and the fieldbus. The method includes generating a temperature characteristic at the temperature sensor, processing the temperature characteristic at the field processing module, and generating field operating data including a temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the temperature characteristic. The method also includes communicating the field operating data including the temperature diagnostic parameter over the bitbus from the field processing module to the auxiliary processing module, generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of the received field operating data, and communicating the auxiliary field data over the fieldbus.
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Citations
49 Claims
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1. A method of diagnosing a temperature sensing system, the system including a temperature sensor, a field processing module coupled to the temperature sensor, a first bus, a second bus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the first bus and the second bus, the method comprising:
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generating a temperature characteristic at the temperature sensor; processing the temperature characteristic at the field processing module; generating field operating data including a temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the temperature characteristic; communicating the field operating data including the temperature diagnostic parameter over the first bus from the field processing module to the auxiliary processing module; generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of the received field operating data; communicating the auxiliary field data over the second bus; and wherein the temperature sensing system further includes a heater coupled to a heater power circuit and receiving heating power from a power supply, the heater power circuit having a first interface, a second interface, and an intermediate portion between the first interface and the second interface and a power controller coupled about the intermediate portion of the heater power circuit, the power controller having at least two states, a first state providing at least a portion of the power to the heater and a second state terminating power to the heater, said power controller including the temperature sensor and the field processing module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method of diagnosing a temperature sensing system, the system including a temperature sensor, a field processing module coupled to the temperature sensor, a first bus, a second bus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the first bus and the second bus, the method comprising:
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generating a temperature characteristic at the temperature sensor; processing the temperature characteristic at the field processing module; generating field operating data including a temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the temperature characteristic; communicating the field operating data including the temperature diagnostic parameter over the first bus from the field processing module to the auxiliary processing module; generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of the received field operating data; communicating the auxiliary field data over the second bus; and wherein generating the temperature characteristic is generating the field operating characteristic in at least one of a bar code format, a radio frequency identification format, a data matrix, and a smart card format.
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38. A method of diagnosing a temperature sensing system, the system including a temperature sensor, a field processing module coupled to the temperature sensor, a first bus, a second bus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the first bus and the second bus, the method comprising:
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generating a temperature characteristic at the temperature sensor; processing the temperature characteristic at the field processing module; generating field operating data including a temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the temperature characteristic; communicating the field operating data including the temperature diagnostic parameter over the first bus from the field processing module to the auxiliary processing module; generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of the received field operating data; communicating the auxiliary field data over the second bus; and generating an auxiliary administrative parameter at the auxiliary processing module and receiving the auxiliary administrative parameter at the field processing module, wherein generating the field operating data is responsive to the receiving the auxiliary administrative parameter.
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39. A method of diagnosing a temperature sensing system, the system including a temperature sensor, a field processing module coupled to the temperature sensor, a first bus, a second bus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the first bus and the second bus, the method comprising:
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generating a temperature characteristic at the temperature sensor; processing the temperature characteristic at the field processing module; generating field operating data including a temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the temperature characteristic; communicating the field operating data including the temperature diagnostic parameter over the first bus from the field processing module to the auxiliary processing module; generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of the received field operating data; communicating the auxiliary field data over the second bus; and wherein the field processing module is a first field processing module and the temperature sensing system further includes a second field processing module in communication with the first bus, further comprising communicating second field operating data from the second processing module to the first field processing module over the first bus.
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40. A method of diagnosing a temperature sensing system, the system including a temperature sensor, a field processing module coupled to the temperature sensor, a first bus, a second bus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the first bus and the second bus, the method comprising:
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generating a temperature characteristic at the temperature sensor; processing the temperature characteristic at the field processing module; generating field operating data including a temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the temperature characteristic; communicating the field operating data including the temperature diagnostic parameter over the first bus from the field processing module to the auxiliary processing module; generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of the received field operating data; communicating the auxiliary field data over the second bus; wherein the temperature sensor is a first temperature sensor and the field processing module is a first field processing module and wherein the temperature sensing system further includes a second temperature sensor and a second field processing module in communication with the first bus, generating a second temperature characteristic at the second temperature sensor; processing the second temperature characteristic at the second field processing module; generating second field operating data including a second temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the second temperature characteristic; and receiving the second field operating data at the auxiliary field processing module; generating supervisory data at the auxiliary field processing module as a function of the first field operating data and the second field operating data; and communicating the supervisory data over the second bus.
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41. A method of diagnosing a temperature sensing system, the system including a temperature sensor, a field processing module coupled to the temperature sensor, a first bus, a second bus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the first bus and the second bus, the method comprising:
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generating a temperature characteristic at the temperature sensor; processing the temperature characteristic at the field processing module; generating field operating data including a temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the temperature characteristic; communicating the field operating data including the temperature diagnostic parameter over the first bus from the field processing module to the auxiliary processing module; generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of the received field operating data; communicating the auxiliary field data over the second bus; and wherein the temperature sensor is a first temperature sensor and wherein the temperature sensing system further includes a second temperature sensor coupled to the field processing module, further comprising; generating a second temperature characteristic at the second temperature sensor; and communicating the second temperature characteristic from the second temperature sensor to the first temperature sensor.
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42. A method of diagnosing a temperature sensing system, the system including a temperature sensor, a field processing module coupled to the temperature sensor, a first bus, a second bus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the first bus and the second bus, the method comprising:
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generating a temperature characteristic at the temperature sensor; processing the temperature characteristic at the field processing module; generating field operating data including a temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the temperature characteristic; communicating the field operating data including the temperature diagnostic parameter over the first bus from the field processing module to the auxiliary processing module; generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of the received field operating data; communicating the auxiliary field data over the second bus; wherein the auxiliary processing module is a first auxiliary processing module and the temperature sensing system further includes a second auxiliary processing module coupled to the second bus, further comprising; generating the administrative instruction at the second auxiliary processing module; and communicating the administrative instruction over the second bus from the second auxiliary processing module to the first auxiliary processing module.
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43. A method of diagnosing a temperature sensing system, the system including a temperature sensor, a field processing module coupled to the temperature sensor, a first bus, a second bus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the first bus and the second bus, the method comprising:
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generating a temperature characteristic at the temperature sensor; processing the temperature characteristic at the field processing module; generating field operating data including a temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the temperature characteristic; communicating the field operating data including the temperature diagnostic parameter over the first bus from the field processing module to the auxiliary processing module; generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of the received field operating data; communicating the auxiliary field data over the second bus; and wherein the temperature sensor is a first temperature sensor, the field processing module is a first field processing module, and the auxiliary processing module is a first auxiliary processing module, and wherein the temperature sensing system further includes a second temperature sensor, a second field processing module coupled to the second temperature sensor, a third bus in communication with the second field processing module, a second auxiliary processing module in communication with the third bus and the second bus, further comprising; generating a second temperature characteristic at the second temperature sensor; generating second field operating data including a second temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the second temperature characteristic; and communicating at least one of a second administrative parameter, the second field operating data, the second field diagnostic parameter, and the second field operating characteristic, said communication being communicating from the second field processing module to the first field processing module via the second first bus, the second auxiliary processing module, the second bus, the first auxiliary processing module, and the first bus.
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44. A method of diagnosing a temperature sensing system, the system including a temperature sensor, a field processing module coupled to the temperature sensor, a first bus, a second bus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the first bus and the second bus, the method comprising:
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generating a temperature characteristic at the temperature sensor in analog format; processing the temperature characteristic at the field processing module; converting the analog temperature characteristic to a digital format in the field processing module; generating field operating data in digital format including a temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the temperature characteristic; compressing at least a portion of the field operating data for communication over the first bus; communicating the field operating data including the temperature diagnostic parameter and the compressed portion of the field operating data over the first bus from the field processing module to the auxiliary processing module; generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of the received field operating data; and communicating the auxiliary field data over the second bus; wherein the temperature sensor is a first temperature sensor and the system includes a second temperature sensor coupled to the field processing module, further comprising generating a second temperature characteristic at the second temperature sensor and receiving the second temperature sensor at the first temperature sensor. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46)
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47. A method of diagnosing a temperature sensing system, the system including a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor, a first field processing module coupled to the first temperature sensor, a second field processing module coupled to the second temperature sensor, a first bus, a second bus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the first bus and the second bus, the method comprising:
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generating a first temperature characteristic at the first temperature sensor; processing the first temperature characteristic at the first field processing module; generating first field operating data including a first temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the first temperature characteristic; communicating the first field operating data including the first temperature diagnostic parameter over the first bus from the first field processing module to the auxiliary processing module; generating a second temperature characteristic at the second temperature sensor; processing the second temperature characteristic at the second field processing module; generating second field operating data including a second temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the second temperature characteristic; communicating the second field operating data including the second temperature diagnostic parameter over the first bus from the second field processing module to the auxiliary processing module; generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of, at least one of, the received first field operating data and the second field operating data; and communicating the auxiliary field data over the second bus. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49)
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Specification