Patent ID: 7031863
Filing Date: 2006-04-18
Classification: G01D

Abstract:
1. A variable condition responsive sensor system comprising a plurality of variable condition sense elements having first and second half bridges, the first half bridge providing a first output and the second half bridge providing a second output, and additionally the first half bridge having a first bias node and the second half bridge having a second bias node, the variable condition being one of pressure, acceleration, force and torque, first and second signal conditioning paths at least one multiplexer with addressable ports connected to both the output and the bias node of each half bridge of the plurality of sense elements, the at least one multiplexer having an output port connected to at least one signal conditioning path of the first and second signal conditioning paths, the first output of the plurality of sense elements connected through the at least one multiplexer to the first signal conditioning path and the second output of the plurality of sense elements connected through the at least one multiplexer to the second conditioning path, the first bias node of the plurality of sense elements connected through the at least one multiplexer to the first signal conditioning path and the second bias node of the plurality of the sense elements connected through the at least one multiplexer to the second signal conditioning path, memory for storing calibration and characterization data for the plurality of sense elements and the signal conditioning paths, and an interface circuit for transmitting data from the memory to the signal conditioning components for separately conditioning the signals of the plurality of sense elements and to an external controller to perform mathematical corrections of the conditioned signals and for comparing the conditioned signals of the plurality of sense elements.