Digital CAN Sensor Capacitive Coupling Compact Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless CAN network sensors are bulky and impractical due to their sensitivity to noise and the need to maximize signal amplitude, leading to slow operation and damage to vehicle cables during installation.
Innovation Solution
A digital CAN sensor with integrated processing unit that reduces sensor length and size, using capacitive elements to directly output digital signals, improving signal-to-noise ratio and allowing for a compact, all-in-one design that can be easily plugged into existing monitoring systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If long and flat sensors are used to maximize capacitive matching surface, then signal amplitude is improved, but sensor size becomes bulky and operation becomes slow
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is divided into two functional portions: a first portion with capacitive elements for signal sensing and a second portion with electronic circuitry for signal processing. This segmentation allows the capacitive elements to be compact while the processing unit handles signal amplification, resolving the contradiction between small size and sufficient signal amplitude.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from maximizing signal amplitude through increased surface area (2D expansion) to achieving sufficient signal through integrated electronic processing (adding a functional dimension). The processing unit compensates for smaller capacitive surface area through active signal conditioning.
2Measurement precision
If long sensors are used to maximize sensed amplitude, then signal quality is improved, but cable damage and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the sensor into compact sensing and processing portions, the overall sensor length is reduced to a practical level that does not require untwisting long cable portions, making installation easy and preventing cable damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of maximizing sensor length to improve signal with an electronic approach using integrated circuitry to process and amplify signals from compact capacitive elements, eliminating the need for long sensor dimensions.
3Volume of moving object
If integrated processing unit is added to reduce sensor size, then sensor compactness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The processing unit is merged with the capacitive sensing elements into a single integrated sensor unit. This combination achieves compact size by co-locating sensing and processing functions, and the merging simplifies the overall system architecture despite the added circuitry.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The compact design enhances usability, reduces cable damage during installation, and enables permanent installation in vehicles, making monitoring procedures safer and quicker by eliminating the need for frequent sensor removal and reconnection.
Implementation Method 1
said first electrical component and said second electrical component each have a substantially flat surface adapted to constitute a capacitive element with respectively a portion of said first electrical cable and a portion of said second electrical cable
Data Source
AI summary
Digital sensor for a CAN network of a vehicle, comprising a casing which comprises a first portion provided with a housing capable of receiving a first electrical cable and a second electrical cable, said first portion receiving a first electrical component and a second electrical component respectively arranged opposite said housing, and which first electrical component and second electrical component each have a substantially flat surface adapted to constitute a capacitive element with respectively a portion of said first electrical cable and a portion of said second electrical cable, such that, when said first electrical cable and said second electrical cable are received in said housing and each carry a respective CAN digital signal, said first electrical component and said second electrical component carry an electrical signal corresponding to the digital CAN signal respectively carried on said first electrical cable and on said second electrical cable, and a second portion receiving an electronic circuitry connected to said first electrical component and said second electrical component, and arranged on the one hand to process the electrical signals which they carry in order to rebuild a first analog signal and a second analog signal which reflect the digital CAN signal respectively carried by the first electrical cable and the second electrical cable, and on the other hand to transform the first analog signal and the second analog signal into respective digital CAN signals towards an output connected to said electronic circuitry.