Data processing: measuring – calibrating – or testing – Testing system – Including multiple test instruments
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-14
2001-09-04
Assouad, Patrick (Department: 2857)
Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing
Testing system
Including multiple test instruments
C700S266000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06285964
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a measuring device for determining physical and/or chemical properties of gases, liquids and/or solids, having a sensor, a computing unit which is connected with a sensor circuit for a sensor, and which is provided with programs for processing the measured data measured by the sensor and processed by the sensor circuit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In connection with such a measuring device, a pH value sensor or a temperature sensor is, for example, provided as the sensor, which is submerged in a liquid, for example. The raw data measured by the sensor are initially processed by the sensor circuit in order to be transmitted thereafter as measured data to the computing unit. The computing unit can display the measured data on an associated monitor, for example, or can pass them on via an associated external communication system to other control and/or monitoring devices.
A multitude of programming commands, which are used for processing received measured data, have been stored in the computing unit. For example, it is possible to convert the measured data in the computing unit with the aid of the programming commands. In the computing unit it is also possible, for example, to compensate sensor-dependent variations of the measured data, for example to average them, by means of the programming commands. As a whole, it is achieved with the aid of the programming commands that, as mentioned, the measured data can be displayed on the monitor or forwarded via the external communications system.
The different measuring principles of different sensors in particular result in that, on the one hand, the sensor circuits which are a part of the sensors are respectively differently constructed and that, on the other hand, the programming commands for processing the measured signals produced by the respective sensors and sensor circuits are also different.
Altogether this results in that not only a multitude of sensor circuits must be available for a multitude of sensors, but also a multitude of computing units with the respectively associated programming commands. This is extremely expensive, in particular in view of the resultant multitude of combination possibilities and the resultant management and storage of the individual components.
It is an object of the present invention to create a measuring device for determining physical and/or chemical properties of gases, liquids and/or solids, which is simpler and more cost- effectively constructed.
This object is attained by the present invention in connection with a measuring device of the type mentioned at the outset, in that an interchangeable program module in the computing unit is associated with the sensor circuit.
Thus, the present invention makes available a modularly constructed measuring device, which can be equipped with the respectively associated program module as a function of the employed sensor. It is therefore no longer required to produce, and in particular to store, a special, associated computing unit for each sensor, instead, based on the present invention it is possible to retain only a single computing unit, which can be used for all sensors with the aid of the program modules associated with the different sensors. Therefore, by means of the modularity in accordance with the present invention, the structure of the measuring device, and in particular its management and storage capability, is considerably simplified. This results in direct cost advantages.
On the one hand, the present invention can be realized by the computing unit to be connected with only a single sensor circuit, and therefore with only a single sensor. In this case it is necessary to load the program modules associated with the sensor into the computing unit. If at a later time it is intended to use a different type of sensor, this is possible in that the sensor with the associated sensor circuit is exchanged, that the program module is also removed, and that the program module associated with the new sensor is loaded into the computing unit.
In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, two or more sensor circuits are provided, to each of which an exchangeable program module is assigned in the computing unit. Thus, in this case the computing unit is connected with two or more sensor circuits and therefore with two or more sensors. For the realization of such a measuring device it is necessary to connect the sensors with the associated sensor circuits to the computing unit and to load the program modules associated with the sensors into the computing unit. If at a later time it is intended to exchange one of the sensors with the associated sensor circuit, this is easily possible in that the associated program module is also replaced by the program module associated with the new sensor.
It is achieved by means of the following described advantageous embodiment of the present invention, that the program modules in the computing unit are not only arbitrarily exchangeable, but can also be enlarged as desired. A measuring device is created in this way, in which the number and types of sensors can be selected completely freely. With this embodiment it is also not necessary to retain a specific computing unit for each combination possibility of the measuring device. Instead, the already available computing unit can also easily be used for this embodiment in that the respective program module is loaded into the computer.
A control circuit for coupling respectively one of the sensor circuits with the computing unit is provided in an advantageous further embodiment of the present invention, wherein a program module in the computing unit is associated with the control circuit. If several sensor circuits are connected with the computing unit, the transmissions from the individual sensor circuits to the computing unit must be controlled, the control circuit, which in particular can be designed in the form of a multiplexer, is provided for this purpose. It is furthermore necessary for the control circuit itself to be controlled. For example, the control circuit must be set for the number of sensors which are connected in a particular application. A program module in the computing unit is associated with the control circuit for this purpose. For example, the control circuit is initialized and, if necessary additionally monitored, with the help of the program module.
It is particularly advantageous for the program module associated with the control circuit to be exchangeably embodied. In this case it is possible that the program module is only loaded into the computing unit if several sensors are connected to the computing unit. But if only one sensor is coupled with the computing unit, and if therefore the control circuit is not needed at all, it is possible because of the exchangeability to omit the loading into the computing unit of the program module associated with the control circuit.
In advantageous further developments of the present invention, at least one external communication system, or respectively at least one voltage supply, or respectively an interface, are provided, with which respectively one program module is associated in the computing unit. A completely modularly constructed measuring device is created in this way. Respectively one program module is associated with each one of the mentioned components, i.e. the external communication system, the voltage supply and the interface. In this regard it is therefore also not necessary to produce a special computing unit for each combination possibility, and in particular to store it. Instead, the already provided computing unit can be used, which, by the loading of the respective program module, is enabled to work together with the associated component.
In simple terms this means that each hardware component is associated with a software module in the measuring device in accordance with the present invention. If for a specific application it is necessary to provide the measuring device with a defined number and with defined types of sensor
Babel Wolfgang
Wittmer Detlev
Assouad Patrick
Endress + Hauser Conducta Gesellschaft fur Mess-und Regelte
Jones Tullar & Cooper P.C.
Raymond Edward
LandOfFree
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