Reconfigurable interface operable with multiple types of sensors and actuators

• US 8,149,102 B1
• Filed: 03/25/2009
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aceinna Transducer Systems Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Memsic Transducer Systems Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Miller, Matthew, Broad, Alan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/410,746
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/539.1, 340/602, 340/509, 340/512, 340/516, 340/517, 340/511, 340/501, 340/146.2, 340/526, 340/531, 340/527, 340/538.15
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An interface is provided that configures itself dynamically based on sensor information received from a sensor assembly or actuator information received from an actuator assembly. The interface may be configured to interoperate with sensor assemblies including analog transducers, smart transducers providing digital outputs and various actuators. The sensor information or the actuator information may include information for managing power consumption associated with the operation of the sensor or the actuator. Using the sensor information or the actuator information, a power management scheme may be implemented to reduce power consumption and extend the operational time of a module. The sensor information also includes information about the sensor signal generated by the sensor. The information about the sensor signal allows the module to interoperate with more diverse types of sensors.

Claims

1. A module for interfacing with more than one type of sensor or actuator, the module comprising:

a module interface configured to couple to a first assembly including a sensor or an actuator, the module interface configured to receive assembly information from the coupled assembly, the assembly information comprising one of;

sensor information representing characteristics of a sensor in the first assembly or actuator information representing characteristics of an actuator in the first assembly; and

a processor coupled to the module interface, the processor configured to;

receive the assembly information from the first assembly via the module interface;

determine whether the assembly information is sensor or actuator information;

generate a sensor interface control signal for configuring the module interface for a sensor if the assembly information is determined to be sensor information;

generate an actuator interface control signal for configuring the module interface for an actuator if the assembly information is determined to be actuator information; and

send the generated sensor control signal or the generated actuator control signal to the module interface to configure the module interface for the sensor or the actuator, respectively, in the first assembly.

2. The module of claim 1, wherein the first assembly comprises a first sensor configured to generate an analog module signal, and the sensor interface is configured to couple to a second assembly comprising a second sensor configured to generate a digital sensor signal.

3. The module of claim 1, wherein the module interface comprises a plurality of switches, each of the plurality of switches turned on or off responsive to receiving either the sensor or actuator control signal.

4. The module of claim 1, wherein the sensor information or the actuator information comprises power source information representing a type of power source required for operating the sensor or the actuator, respectively, in the first assembly.

5. The module of claim 1, where the sensor information comprises:

sensor type information representing a type of sensor corresponding to the sensor in the first assembly;

sensor initialization information representing a time required for initializing the sensor in the first assembly; and

sensor measure time information representing a time required for the sensor to return a sensor signal.

6. The module of claim 1, where the actuator information comprises:

actuator type information representing a type of actuator corresponding to the actuator in the first assembly; and

actuator initialization information representing a duration of a pulse for switching a mode of the actuator.

7. The module of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a sensor power duration to provide power to the sensor or determine an actuator power duration to provide power to the actuator based on the sensor initialization information or the actuator initialization information, respectively; and

control the module interface to provide power to the sensor or the actuator for the determined respective duration.

8. The module of claim 1, wherein the sensor information comprises sensor measure rate information representing how often measurements should be sampled by the sensor.

9. The module of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to generate a sensor pulse signal responsive to detecting a predetermined event.

10. The module of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to wake up from a power-save mode responsive to receiving the sensor pulse signal.

11. The module of claim 1, wherein the module interface comprises a serial transceiver driver configured to communicate with the sensor of the first assembly in a half duplex mode.

12. The module of claim 1, wherein the first assembly comprises a memory chip configured to store the sensor information, the memory chip configured to transmit the sensor information to the module interface responsive to the first assembly being coupled to the module interface.

13. The module of claim 1, wherein the first assembly comprises a connector, the connector comprising at least one pin shared for transmitting the sensor signal for a first sensor and a second sensor.

14. A method for interfacing with more than one type of sensor or actuator in a module, comprising:

receiving assembly information responsive to coupling a first assembly including a sensor or an actuator to the module, the assembly information comprising one of;

sensor information representing characteristics of the sensor in the first assembly or actuator information representing characteristics of the actuator in the first assembly;

determining whether the assembly information is sensor or actuator information;

generating a sensor interface control signal responsive to determining the assembly information is sensor information;

generating an actuator interface control signal responsive to determining the assembly information is actuator information;

configuring an interface in the module based on either the sensor interface control signal or the actuator interface control signal; and

receiving, at the interface, either a sensor signal from the sensor in the first assembly or an actuator signal from the actuator in the first assembly responsive to configuring the interface.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the sensor comprises a first sensor generating an analog sensor signal, and a second sensor generating a digital sensor signal.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising turning on or off switches in the module interface responsive to receiving either the server interface control signal or the actuator interface control signal.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the sensor information comprises power source information representing a type of power source required for operating the sensor.

18. The method of claim 14, where the sensor information comprises:

sensor type information representing a type of sensor corresponding to the sensor in the first assembly;

sensor initialization information representing a time required for initializing the sensor in the first assembly; and

sensor measure time information representing a time required for the sensor to return the sensor signal.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining a sensor power duration to provide power to the sensor based on at least one of the sensor initialization information or the sensor measure time information; and

providing power to the sensor for the determined sensor power duration.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the actuator information comprises:

actuator type information representing a type of actuator corresponding to the actuator in the first assembly; and

actuator initialization information representing duration of a pulse for switching a mode of the actuator.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the sensor information comprises measure rate information representing how often measurements should be sampled by the sensor.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving a sensor pulse signal from the sensor responsive to detecting a predetermined event.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising waking up a processor in the module responsive to receiving the sensor pulse signal as an interrupt signal of the processor.