Patent ID: 7285964

Claim:
A monolithic-integrated-semiconductor-circuit based sensor driver and signal processing platform comprising: a Schmitt trigger oscillator, said Schmitt trigger oscillator having a time varying element, said Schmitt trigger oscillator having a time constant of changeable value, said Schmitt trigger oscillator having an oscillation period and an oscillation frequency; and, a digital period counter connected to said Schmidt trigger oscillator for measuring a change in one of said oscillation period and said oscillation frequency; and, an interface connected to provide said time varying element to said Schmitt trigger oscillator, said interface being universally connectable to a sensor element, said sensor element being any sensor element selected from the group of capacitive impedance based sensor elements, inductive impedance based sensor elements, and resistive impedance based sensor elements, said sensor element having a transduction changeable by an external stimulus; and, wherein said sensor element when connected to said interface supplies said time varying element of said Schmitt trigger oscillator, wherein any change in transduction caused by an external stimulus to said sensor element causes said time constant of said Schmitt trigger oscillator to change in value resulting in a commensurate change in said one of said oscillation period and said oscillation frequency.