QuantumX Amplifiers Save Data Acquisition Time. HBM has launched a universal amplifier, QuantumX, with eight connectors each of which independently recognizes and supports all current transducer technologies. In addition, integrated “Advanced Plug & Measure” (APM) technology reduces test setup configuration to a few minutes. The compact design of QuantumX makes it easy to integrate intotest equipment where space is a constraint. Each of the eight universal connectors on the device front supports data acquisition with 24-bit resolution. The instrument is compatible with transducers based on a wide range of technologies such as strain gage or inductive full and half bridge, voltage, current, thermocouples, resistance thermometers as well as frequency or pulse counting. Up to 128 CAN signals can be acquired on one connector. Transducers fitted with TEDS technology are automatically recognized as soon as they are connected to QuantumX while transducers without TEDS are easily configured using the expandablesensor database ...

In the past few years, there has been a lot of discussion regarding smart sensors, the IEEE 1451smart sensor standard, and how these technologies will impact the lives of scientists and engineers as they are adopted the mass market. Smart sensors, in their most evolved form, convert some physical phenomenon into digital information and provide that information in scaled engineering units to a multinode network of smart sensors. This information can be then be simply acquired and analyzed on a PC, with LabView for instance. However, the benefits and mass market adoption of smart sensors are far from being realized by most engineers and scientists, in large part due to the large technological leap and cost associated with the current smart sensor standards. Entire software and hardware infrastructures must change in order to make the current implementation of smart sensors a reality.

A soon-to-be adapted smart sensor standard, referred to as IEEE P1451.4, will provide many of the benefits of smart sensors, such as automatic detection, configuration, and calibration while retaining existing measurement architectures. By maintaining existing measurement architectures IEEE P1451.4-compliant hardware can preserve investments because it is backward compatible with traditional sensors and follows the existing  measurement hardware architecture model.

The architecture of an IEEE P1451.4 plug-and-play sensor consists of a TEDS (transducer electronic datasheet) and the analog sensor itself. The TEDS provides the configuration, scaling, and calibration information necessary to make a measurement through a mixed mode interface. This TEDS data is processed by the measurement hardware device driver and is used by the application development environment to reduce the programming burden and set-up time for any measurement system.

The Measurement and Automation Catalog 2004, National Instruments, USA.

IEEE 1451 Smart Transducer Interface

IEEE 1451.2 is an open standard that gives sensors makers a way to interface to different types of field buses. A standard transducer interface module (STIM) described by the standard includes the sensor interface, signal conditioning and conversion, calibration, linearization and basic communication. Some of the benefits of the new standard include:

• Simplify the connectivity of transducers (sensors or actuators) to control systems or networks;

• Allow the "plug and play" of 1451-compatible sensors and actuators with different control networks at the device level;

• Allow sensor manufacturers / users to support multiple control networks.

NI Plug & Play Sensor Advisor

If you know what you need to measure, you can use the NI Plug & Play Sensor Advisor to find the TEDS sensor you need. Narrow your search results by specifying characteristics such as the accuracy range that the sensor's output must fall within, the level of ruggedization the sensor must have, and even the availability of its calibration data in the NI Virtual TEDS database.

Instrumentation Newsletter, National Instruments, 1^st Quarter 2004

Designing a 1451.2 Smart Sensor (Online course)

Understanding the emerging IEEE 1451.2 Smart Sensor Standard is only the first step in developing a generic network enabled smart sensor. This lecture relates the experience of Analog Devices in understanding the background and concepts behind 1451 and their subsequent development of a 2 channel 1451.2 compliant transducer on its recently introduced family of MicroConverter® devices.

Articles, Papers, Standards and Tools

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L. Ca'mara, O. Ruiz, A. Herms, J. Samitier and J. Bosch, Automatic generation of intelligent instruments for IEEE 1451, Mesurement, 35, (2004), 3-9.

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The sensors “plug & play” revolution has begun.

Abstract: In the installation and setup of a data acquisition system, time is money. According to a 2003 National Instruments data acquisition user survey, almost 20% of the total cost of developing a data acquisition system is incurred during system setup. Cumbersome wiring, sensor configuration, and manual data entry from paper sensor data sheets are time consuming and can lead to user error.

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Sensor Calibration with TEDS Technology

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TEDS IEEE 1451.4 Plug and Play Smart Sensors