Single-Line Drive-Sense Circuits for Low-Interference Sensor Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data communication systems in sensor applications face challenges in efficiently processing and interpreting signals from diverse physical conditions across various environments, such as industrial, healthcare, and transportation sectors, due to limitations in sensor circuit design and actuator control.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a communication system that integrates drive-sense circuits, which simultaneously drive and sense signals via a single line, enabling effective communication between sensors and actuators, and processing modules that interpret these signals to generate actionable data for computing devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If traditional separate drive and sense circuits are used, then circuit functionality is maintained, but power consumption increases and line interference occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate drive and sense circuits into a single integrated drive-sense circuit that operates through a single line. This merging eliminates the need for multiple separate circuits and lines, thereby reducing power consumption and minimizing line interference while maintaining full drive and sense functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive-sense circuit is designed to perform multiple functions (driving and sensing) through a single unified circuit structure. This multi-functional approach allows the same circuit to handle both drive signal output and sense signal input, reducing overall system complexity and energy consumption.
2Reliability
If multiple separate lines are used for drive and sense, then signal integrity is maintained, but line interference increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging drive and sense operations into a single line, the patent eliminates the interference that occurs between multiple separate lines. The unified drive-sense circuit ensures that drive and sense signals do not interfere with each other, maintaining signal integrity while reducing electromagnetic interference.
3Productivity
If traditional sensor circuit design is used, then basic sensing is achieved, but real-time monitoring capability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated drive-sense circuit incorporates feedback mechanisms that enable real-time monitoring and adjustment of sensed parameters. The circuit continuously monitors physical conditions and provides immediate feedback to the computing device, enhancing both processing speed and measurement precision through continuous real-time data acquisition.
Data Source
AI summary
An automated system includes transducers, at least one computing device, and at least one automated apparatus. The transducer(s) is/are driven and sensed using drive-sense circuit(s). A drives and senses drive and sense a transducer via a single line, generates a digital signal representative of a sensed analog feature to which the transducer is exposed, and transmits the digital signal to the computing device. The computing device receives digital signals from at least some of drive-sense circuits and process them in accordance with the automation process to produce an automated process command. The automated apparatus executes a portion of an automated process based on the automated process command.