Electrical Connector With Microcontroller For Sensor Parameter Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Intelligent sensors with integrated microcontrollers require complex and time-consuming parameterization, often necessitating trained personnel, and lack decentralized data storage, leading to difficulties in documenting and retrieving parameter settings, especially during sensor replacements.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector with a plug-and-socket connection, an electronic circuit, and a microcontroller that automatically reads and writes parameter data to/from the sensor, allowing for decentralized storage and simplifying parameterization without the need for additional devices, and featuring display elements for data transfer direction indication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If parameters are stored on a metal plate attached to the machine, then parameter documentation is achieved, but the process is complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital copy of sensor parameters stored in the electrical connector's memory, replacing the physical metal plate documentation. The connector memory stores parameter data that can be read out when needed, eliminating the need for manual metal plate attachment while preserving all parameter information digitally.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical connector acts as an intermediary between the sensor and the parameter storage system. Instead of directly attaching metal plates to machines or storing parameters only in the sensor's internal memory, the connector serves as a mediating component that maintains and provides access to parameter data through its own memory and microcontroller.
2Ease of operation
If sensor parameters are parameterized using buttons and display, then parameter setting is possible, but the process is time-consuming and requires trained personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connector performs parameterization automatically without requiring manual button pressing or display interaction. The microcontroller in the connector reads parameter data from its memory and automatically transmits it to the sensor when connected, eliminating the need for trained personnel to manually configure parameters through buttons and displays.
Solution Approach 2:
Parameter data is pre-stored in the electrical connector's memory before connection to the sensor. When the sensor is connected, the parameterization process is automatically initiated and completed without requiring real-time manual input, thus preparing and executing the parameterization action in advance and in one step.
3Ease of repair
If a sensor is replaced without documented parameters, then sensor replacement is possible, but parameter re-setting causes long shutdowns
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connector maintains a copy of the sensor's parameter data in its own memory, independent of the sensor's internal storage. When a sensor is replaced, the connector already has the parameter data ready and can automatically transmit it to the new sensor, eliminating the need for manual re-parameterization and minimizing system shutdown time.
Solution Approach 2:
The parameter data is prepared and stored in the electrical connector's memory in advance, before the sensor replacement occurs. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the new sensor is installed, parameterization can immediately take place without requiring time-consuming manual reconfiguration or system shutdowns.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple parameters are set using button combinations, then sensor adaptation is achieved, but the operation becomes fault-susceptible and difficult to understand
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connector automatically handles the complex process of transmitting multiple parameters to the sensor without requiring manual button combinations. The microcontroller manages the entire parameterization sequence autonomously, eliminating the need for users to understand or execute complex button pressing sequences while still achieving full sensor adaptation.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical connector serves as an intermediary that simplifies the interaction between the user and the sensor's multiple parameters. Instead of requiring users to directly manage complex button combinations for each parameter, the connector mediates by automatically processing and transmitting all necessary parameters through a single connection action.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector for connection to a sensor has an integrated microcontroller, with a plug-and-socket connection for connection to an interface of the sensor and with an electronic circuit. With the connector, the data of a sensor, especially the parameter data, can be mirrored outside the sensor in a simple and economical manner so that the data are available at any time and as much as possible on site. The electronic circuit has a memory for storage of data, especially parameter data and characteristic data of the sensor, and a microcontroller, the microcontroller operating the interface of the sensor, and depending on the characteristic data of the sensor, either reading data, especially parameter data, out of the sensor via the interface and storing it in the memory, or reading data stored in the memory, especially parameter data, out of the memory and transmitting them via the interface into the sensor.