Sensor subassembly and method for sending a data signal

• US 9,680,635 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2015
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Hainz, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Perez, James M
• Application Number:
  US14/619,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20150229469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 375219-223, 375286, 375295-315
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0091 Transmitter details
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0332 with an integrator-detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A sensor subassembly having a memory unit for storing a sensor data value from the sensor subassembly and a transmission unit for sending a data signal with information about the stored sensor data value to an external receiver at a data rate that is dependent on a clock frequency of a clock signal produced by the sensor subassembly. The transmission unit sends the data signal with the information about the stored sensor data value on the basis of a piece of trigger information in an externally received control signal.

Claims

1. A sensor subassembly, comprising:

a memory unit configured to store a sensor data value from the sensor subassembly;

a transmission unit configured to communicate a data signal with sensor data value information to an external receiver at a data rate that is dependent on a clock frequency of a clock signal produced by the sensor subassembly, wherein the transmission unit communicates the data signal with sensor data value information based on a piece of trigger information in an externally received control signal; and

wherein the externally received control signal is a modulated supply voltage from the external receiver; and

wherein the transmission unit is further configured to communicate the data signal by modulating a supply current, drawn by the transmission unit, of the modulated supply voltage, that operates as the externally received control signal that is received by the transmission unit.

2. The sensor subassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission unit is configured to receive a multiplicity of pieces of trigger information, wherein a frequency of said reception of the pieces of trigger information is lower than the data rate or clock frequency of the data signal when the sensor data value information is sent.

3. The sensor subassembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter that is configured to convert analog sensor data determined by the sensor subassembly into a digital sensor data value for storage in the memory unit.

4. The sensor subassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor subassembly comprises a magnetic sensor that is configured to measure the measured variable.

5. The sensor subassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission unit is configured to communicate concurrently the data signal with sensor value information on a same channel, between the transmission unit and the external receiver, as the externally received control signal.

6. The sensor subassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the piece of trigger information is an impulse with a trigger pulse length.

7. The sensor subassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission unit is configured to detect the piece of trigger information, and send the data signal with the sensor data value information, only upon receipt of a piece of beginning information in the externally received control signal and prior to receipt of a piece of end information in the externally received control signal.

8. The sensor subassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the piece of beginning information consists of a predefined data word.

9. The sensor subassembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the piece of end information consists of a longer impulse than the trigger pulse length.

10. The sensor subassembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the transmission unit is configured to send a sensor signal on a connection of the transmission unit to the external receiver at the same instant as the transmission unit receives the piece of beginning information.

11. The sensor subassembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the transmission unit is configured to send a sensor signal on a connection of the transmission unit to the external receiver, and to modulate the sensor signal on the data signal.

12. The sensor subassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission unit is configured to output the data signal on a connection that is not used for a supply voltage or a sensor signal.

13. The sensor subassembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the memory unit comprises at least two registers, and wherein the sensor data value is stored in the at least two registers, and the transmission unit is configured to transmit the content of one of the at least two registers as sensor data value information to the external receiver after a piece of register information is received in the control signal.

14. The sensor subassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data rate of the data signal with the sensor data value information is dependent only on the clock frequency of the clock signal produced by the sensor subassembly without being dependent on a clock frequency of an external signal.

15. A method for data transmission for a sensor subassembly, comprising:

storing a sensor data value for a measured variable measured by the sensor subassembly; and

communicating a data signal with sensor data value information to an external receiver at a data rate that is dependent on a clock frequency of a clock signal produced by the sensor subassembly, wherein the data signal with the sensor data value information is sent asynchronously with respect to a clock or a frequency of the control signal based on a piece of trigger information in an externally received control signal; and

receiving the externally received control signal as a modulated supply voltage from the external receiver;

communicating the data signal by modulating a supply current, drawn by the transmission unit, of the modulated supply voltage that operates as the externally received control signal that is received at the transmission unit.