Method for manufacturing measuring transducers

• US 8,789,424 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2009
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Company KG (Endress+Hauser AG)
• Original Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Company KG (Endress+Hauser AG)
• Inventors: Mayr, Andreas, Philipps, Michael, Altendorf, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): JENKINS, JERMAINE L
• Application Number:
  US13/139,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20110247424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 73/722
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 19/086 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 27/005 Apparatus for calibrating pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 27/007 Malfunction diagnosis, i.e. diagnosing a sensor defect
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/0075 using a ceramic diaphragm, e.g. alumina, fused quartz, glass
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/125 with temperature compensating means non electric temperature compensating means G01L19/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49004 including measuring or testing of device or component part

Abstract

A method for manufacturing measuring transducers, especially pressure or pressure difference measuring transducers, in which a high degree of quality, safety and accuracy of measurement is achievable with little logistical and manufacturing effort. The measuring transducer has a memory readable and writable via an associated RFID interface, and at least one sensor for registering a physical, measured variable and for transducing such into an electrical variable, wherein the sensor is equipped with sensor electronics, which serves to condition the electrical variable into an electrical measurement signal dependent on the measured variable, and which is equipped with an RFID transponder, via which the sensor is supplied with energy, and via which measurement signals can be read out wirelessly. The measuring transducers and/or their sensors are subjected to at least one calibration and/or test procedure, in which the sensors are exclusively supplied with energy via their RFID transponders, and their measurement signals are read out via their RFID transponders, and measuring transducer specific and/or sensor specific data derived during the calibration and/or test procedure are stored in the memory via the RFID interface.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing measuring transducers, especially pressure or pressure difference measuring transducers, with:

a memory readable and writable via an associated RFID interface, at least one sensor for registering a physical, measured variable and for transducing such into an electrical variable,

which sensor is equipped with a sensor electronics, said sensor electronics serving to condition the electrical variable into an electrical measurement signal dependent on the measured variable, and which is equipped with an RFID transponder, for supplying the sensor with energy via said RFID transponder, and for reading out the measurement signals wirelessly via said RFID transponder, the method comprising the steps of;

subjecting the measuring transducers and/or their sensors to at least one calibration and/or test procedure;

exclusively supplying the sensors with energy via their RFID transponders;

reading out their measurement signals via their RFID transponders;

deriving transducer specific and/or sensor specific data based on the calibration and/or test procedures; and

storing said transducer specific and/or sensor specific data in the memory via the RFID interface.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a calibration procedure is executed, in which a response of the sensors and/or the measuring transducers as a function of the physical, measured variable, and/or a temperature dependence of this response, are/is ascertained, and data reflecting this response, especially characterizing parameters or characteristic curves, are derived and stored in the memory.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the measuring transducer is a pressure or pressure difference transducer, which has at least one pressure transfer means;

at least one sensor arranged in the pressure transfer means is a temperature sensor; and

a calibration procedure is executed, wherein;

a response of the pressure transfer means as a function of a pressure acting thereon and the temperature registered by the temperature sensors is ascertained, data, especially characterizing parameters or characteristic curves, which reflect this response, are derived, and these data are stored in the memory via the RFID interface associated with the memory.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a transponder identifier of each sensor is read out and associated with a serial number; and

the measuring transducer and/or the respective sensor are identified contactlessly during the total subsequent manufacturing method based on the transponder identifier and/or the serial number associated therewith stored in the memory via the RFID interface.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

manufacturing data registered during manufacture, especially the date of manufacture, batch number, data relevant to the quality of the manufacturing process and/or serial number are stored in the memory via the RFID interface associated with the memory.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the measuring transducer passes in a production line through a plurality of production stations, one after the other, in which, in each case, a portion of the manufacturing process is executed;

the measuring transducer is identified in the production stations via the transponder identifiers of the sensors and/or data stored in the memory, which is read out in the respective production station via the RFID interface associated with the memory, and/or

manufacturing relevant data from a production station (A, B or C) are transmitted to a following production station (B, C or D) by storing data at a production station (A, B or C) via a read write apparatus of such production station (A, B or C) and the RFID interface associated with the memory and in the following production station (B, C or D) are read out from the memory via a read write apparatus of such production station (B, C or D) and the RFID interface associated with the memory.

7. A measuring transducer, especially a pressure or pressure difference transducer, comprising:

at least one sensor for registering a physical, measured variable and for transducing such into an electrical variable, said at least one sensor being equipped with a sensor electronics, which serves to condition the electrical variable into an electrical measurement signal dependent on the measured variable, which sensor is equipped with a sensor electronics, said sensor electronics serving to condition the electrical variable into an electrical measurement signal dependent on the measured variable, and which is equipped with an RFID transponder, for supplying the sensor with energy via said RFID transponder, and for reading out the measurement signals wirelessly via said RFID transponder; and

a memory readable and writable via the associated RFID interface, in which measuring transducer specific and/or sensor specific data derived from a calibration and/or test procedure are stored via the RFID interface;

wherein

the measuring transducer is a pressure or pressure difference transducer equipped with at least one pressure transfer means, and

the sensors comprise at least one temperature sensor, which is arranged in the pressure transfer means, and

measuring transducer specific data, which reflect a response of the pressure transfer means as a function of a pressure acting thereon and a temperature dependence of this response, derived during a calibration and/or test procedure are stored in the memory via the RFID interface.

8. The measuring transducer as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

a sensor is a pressure or a pressure difference sensor; and

the memory and the RFID interface associated therewith are components of the sensor electronics of such sensor, especially its RFID transponder.

9. The measuring transducer as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

said sensor electronics has access to data derived during calibration and/or test procedures and stored in the memory, and at least one of these data is used in the subsequent transducings of the physical, measured variable into the electrical measurement signal.

10. The measuring transducer as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

the measuring transducer is a pressure or pressure difference transducer equipped with at least one pressure transfer means; and

the sensors comprise at least one temperature sensor, which is arranged in the pressure transfer means; and

measuring transducer specific data, which reflect a response of the pressure transfer means as a function of a pressure acting thereon and a temperature dependence of this response, derived during a calibration and/or test procedure are stored in the memory via the RFID interface.

11. The measuring device comprising:

a pressure measuring transducer, comprising;

at least one sensor for registering a physical, measured variable and for transducing such into an electrical variable, said at least one sensor being equipped with a sensor electronics, which serves to condition the electrical variable into an electrical measurement signal dependent on the measured variable, and which is equipped with an RFID transponder, via which the sensor is supplied with energy, and via which measurement signals can be read out wirelessly; and

a memory readable and writable via the associated RFID interface, in which measuring transducer specific and/or sensor specific data derived from a calibration and/or test procedure are stored via the RFID interface;

wherein;

the pressure difference transducer is equipped with at least one pressure transfer means, and

the sensors comprise at least one temperature sensor, which is arranged in the pressure transfer means, and

pressure difference transducer specific data, which reflect a response of the pressure transfer means as a function of a pressure acting thereon and a temperature dependence of this response derived during a calibration and/or test procedure are stored in the memory via the RFID interface;

the measuring device further comprising;

a measuring device electronics, which has an RFID interface via which the measuring device electronics supplies the sensors with energy, via which the measuring device electronics receives measurement signals of the sensors, and via which the measuring device electronics has access to data stored in the memory; and

the measuring device electronics has a signal processor, which, based on a pressure difference measurement signal of the pressure difference sensor, measurement signals of the temperature sensors and data stored in the memory, produces a pressure difference measurement signal compensated relative to temperatures reigning in the pressure transfer means.

12. The measuring device as claimed in claim 11, having a pressure difference transducer, wherein:

the measuring transducer is a pressure or pressure difference transducer equipped with at least one pressure transfer means;

the sensors comprise at least one temperature sensor, which is arranged in the pressure transfer means; and

measuring transducer specific data, which reflect a response of the pressure transfer means as a function of a pressure acting thereon and a temperature dependence of this response, derived during a calibration and/or/ test procedure are stored in the memory via the RFID interface;

which has a pressure difference sensor having at least one pressure transfer means connected thereto, in which, in each case, a temperature sensor is arranged, wherein;

data recorded by the temperature sensors and the pressure difference sensor and reflecting a response of the pressure transfer means as a function of its temperature are stored in the memory, and

the measuring device electronics has a signal processor, which, based on a pressure difference measurement signal of the pressure difference sensor, measurement signals of the temperature sensors and data stored in the memory, produces a pressure difference measurement signal compensated relative to temperatures reigning in the pressure transfer means.

13. The measuring device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a monitoring unit, which monitors measurement signals of the temperature sensors and triggers an error report and/or an alarm in the case of loss of a measurement signal of a temperature sensor.