Wireless sensor system

• US 20070222584A1
• Filed: 05/23/2007
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EnOcean GmbH
• Original Assignee: EnOcean GmbH
• Inventors: Bulst, Wolf-Eckhart, Sczesny, Oliver, Pistor, Klaus, Schmidt, Frank, Albsmeier, Andre
• Granted Patent: US 7,777,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 39/042 by measuring the incident light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/00 Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps

Abstract

A sensor system has a least one voltage generator for conversion of non-electrical energy to electrical energy. At least one energy store is connected downstream from the voltage generator. At least one voltage converter is connected to the energy store such that its output signal is suitable for operation of a processor controller. At least one sensor is provided, and at least one transmitter enables wire-free transmission of transmission messages produced by the processor controller and containing at least one measured value from the at least one sensor. A timer circuit is triggered as a function of a voltage level of the at least one energy store, and activates the sensor system to transmit at least one transmission message after a specific time interval.

Claims

1. A sensor system, comprising:

a least one voltage generator for conversion of non-electrical energy to electrical energy,

at least one energy store connected to the voltage generator,

at least one voltage converter having an input connected to the energy store and generating an output,

at least one sensor,

at least one transmitter configured for wire-free transmission of transmission messages which contain at least one measured value from the at least one sensor, and

a timer circuit configured to activate the sensor system to transmit at least one of the transmission messages, the at least one transmitter and the timer circuit being powered by the output of the at least one voltage converter.

2. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the at least one voltage generator is a solar cell.

3. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the at least one voltage generator is at least one of a piezoelectric transducer or an inductive converter.

4. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the timer circuit includes semiconductor modules based on Ultra Low Power (ULP) technology.

5. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the transmission message further includes at least one identification code.

6. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the timer circuit is activated in response to a voltage level of the energy store.

7. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a part of the at least one voltage generator.

8. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein a transmission frequency per unit time is based on a state of charge of the at least one energy store.

9. The sensor system of claim 1, further comprising a processor controller connected to the at least one sensor and the at least one transmitter, the processor controller configured to generate the transmission messages.

10. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the timer circuit is triggered as a function of a state value of the at least one energy store to activated the sensor system to transmit that at least one of the transmission messages after a time interval.

11. The sensor system of claim 10, wherein the time interval is variable.

12. The sensor system of claim 11, wherein the time interval varies as a function of the state of charge of the at least one energy store.

13. A monitoring system comprising at least one sensor system as recited in claim 1, and at least one receiving and evaluation system configured to receive the transmission messages transmitted by the at least one sensor system.

14. A method for setting a time interval for a sensor system as recited in claim 1, the method comprising:

checking a state of charge of the energy store; and

including the state of charge in the definition of the transmission frequency per unit time.