Patent ID: 8532732

Claim:
A sensor system, comprising: a sensor including a plurality of electrodes; and a sensor electronics device that is coupled to the sensor and includes: an electrical detection circuit to determine whether the plurality of electrodes in the sensor are hydrated, to generate a first interrupt if the plurality of electrodes are hydrated, and to generate a second interrupt if the electrical detection circuit determines that the sensor has been disconnected from the sensor electronics device; a microcontroller to receive the second interrupt and to generate a signal to turn off power to one or more components or circuits within the sensor electronics device in response to the second interrupt; and an AC source coupled to a first electrode of the plurality of electrodes and supplying an AC signal to said first electrode, wherein the electrical detection circuit includes a comparator to detect a level of the AC signal present at the input of the comparator, to generate the first interrupt that is transmitted to the microcontroller if a low level AC signal is present at said input, and to generate the second interrupt if a high level AC signal is present at said input after the generation of the first interrupt.