Patent application EP18151382A (EP), filed 2018-01-12
Publication number: EP3349419A1
Title: CONFIGURABLE SMART SENSOR SYSTEMS
Abstract: A smart sensor system can include one or more configurable input and output channels, each configurable channel including one or more switches configured to activate the input and/or output and/or to select a type of input and/or output signal, at least one analog-to-digital converter and at least one digital-to-analog converter operatively connected to the one or more switches for the one or more configurable channels, and at least one controller configured to control the configurable channels.
IPC codes: H03M   1/    00            A I
H04L  29/    08            A I
H03M   1/    12            A I
H03M   1/    66            A I
H04L  67/    12            A I
Claims: number: 1
text: A smart sensor system, comprising:
number: 2
text: The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more switches are configured to control the input and/or output configurable channel impedance.
number: 3
text: The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the one or more switches are configured to change the input and/or output analog filter for a given configurable channel.
number: 4
text: The system of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the one or more switches are configured to cause the one or more input channels to selectively process known voltages for internal calibration purposes and/or to selectively process a number of output channels for internal calibration purposes.
number: 5
text: The system of any preceding claim, wherein the one or more configurable channels include a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) in electrical communication with one or more configurable channels.
number: 6
text: The system of any preceding claim, comprising a switching regulator configured to regulate the supply voltage for the one or more configurable output channels.
number: 7
text: The system of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to receive the digital output and provide information associated with the received digital output to at least one external device.
number: 8
text: A first smart sensor system, comprising:
number: 9
text: The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more switches are configured to cause the one or more input channels to selectively process known voltages for internal calibration; and/or
wherein the one or more channels include a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) in electrical communication with one or more configurable channels.
number: 10
text: A second smart sensor system, comprising:
number: 11
text: The first system of claim 8, wherein at least one switch is configured to allow an input channel to be connected to an output channel to configure an input/output channel; or
the second system of claim 10, wherein one or more switches are configured to allow the one or more output channels to be connected to one or more input channels to configure an input/output channel.
number: 12
text: The first system of claim 8, 9, or 11, wherein the one or more switches are configured to control the configurable input channel impedance; or
the second system of claim 10 or 11, wherein the one or more switches are configured to control the output configurable channel impedance.
number: 13
text: The first system of claim 8, 9, 11 or 12, wherein one or more switches are configured to change the analog filter for a given configurable input channel; or
the second system of claim 10, 11 or 12, wherein the one or more switches are configured to change the output analog filter for a given configurable channel.
number: 14
text: The second system of any one of claims 10-13, comprising a switching regulator configured to regulate the supply voltage for the configurable output channel.
number: 15
text: The first system of claim 8, 9, 11, 12 or 13, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to receive the digital output and provide information associated with the received digital output to at least one external device; or
the second system of any one of claims 10-14, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to receive digital input and provide information associated with the output to at least one external device.
Office action: search_report, dated 2018-07-18
Rejection reasons: novelty_epc_54
Prior art cited: ref_id: US2016047708A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: EP2999120A2
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: CN102890477B
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: CN102890477B
ref_type: patent
severity: novelty_destroying
ref_id: US2016047708
ref_type: patent
severity: novelty_destroying
ref_id: EP2999120
ref_type: patent
severity: novelty_destroying
Final disposition: pending (2018-07-18)