Measurement system and method for operating a measurement system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11314651-B2
Application number	US-202016745389-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2020
Priority date	Jan 17, 2019
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

Provided is a method for operating a measurement system including an evaluation module and several measuring elements. The evaluation module and the measuring elements are connected via a communication line. The method includes detecting measurement data via the several measuring elements. At least two of the measuring elements detect the measurement data at least partially at the same time. The method further includes: buffering the detected measurement data in the respective measuring element; and reading out the measurement data buffered in the measuring elements with the evaluation module via the communication line.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a measurement system comprising an evaluation module and several measuring elements, wherein the evaluation module and the measuring elements are connected via a communication line and wherein the method comprises:
detecting measurement data via the several measuring elements, wherein each of the measuring elements includes a sensor and/or antenna configured to detect the measurement data, wherein at least two of the measuring elements detect the measurement data at least partially at the same time;
buffering the detected measurement data in the respective measuring element; and
reading out the measurement data buffered in the measuring elements with the evaluation module via the communication line,
wherein the sensor and/or the antenna included in each of the measuring elements is configured to detect an environmental parameter selected from the group consisting of: a temperature, an air humidity, an electrical field, a magnetic field, a mechanical contact, a force, electromagnetic waves, optical radiation, infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation, x-ray radiation, and radioactive radiation.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the buffering of the detected measurement data is effected in a buffer memory of the respective measuring element.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the reading out of the measurement data buffered in the measuring elements is effected sequentially.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the measuring elements detects measurement data again after buffering is complete.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steps of detecting the measurement data and of buffering by at least one of the measuring elements are effected continuously in an alternating sequence.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the measuring elements are operated in parallel.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the provision of at least one command to the several measuring elements by means of the evaluation module, wherein the provision of the at least one command to the measuring elements is effected via the communication line.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein at least one of the commands is formed as a continuous mode command and prompts the measuring elements alternately to detect and buffer measurement data continuously.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the reading out of the buffered measurement data comprises fragmentation of the measurement data into fragments and successive reading out of the fragments.

10. A measurement system, comprising:
an evaluation module;
several measuring elements, each of the measuring elements including a sensor and/or antenna configured to detect measurement data; and
a communication line, which connects the evaluation module and the several measuring elements;
wherein the detection of the measurement data is effected by the several measuring elements at least partially at the same time, and wherein the measuring elements are configured to buffer the detected measurement data in the respective measuring element;
wherein the evaluation module is configured to read out the measurement data buffered in the measuring elements via the communication line, and
wherein the sensor and/or the antenna included in each of the measuring elements is configured to detect an environmental parameter selected from the group consisting of: a temperature, an air humidity, an electrical field, a magnetic field, a mechanical contact, a force, electromagnetic waves, optical radiation, infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation, x-ray radiation, and radioactive radiation.

11. The measurement system according to claim 10 , wherein the measuring elements each comprise a buffer memory and are configured to buffer the detected measurement data in the respective buffer memory.

12. The measurement system according to claim 10 , wherein the evaluation module comprises a memory unit and is configured to save the measurement data read out from the measuring elements in the memory unit, wherein the memory unit comprises a FIFO buffer.

13. The measurement system according to claim 10 , wherein at least some of the measuring elements each comprise a read/write head or are formed as such.

14. The measurement system according to claim 10 , wherein the measurement system is formed in accordance with the RS-485 standard.

15. A computer program product which comprises a non-volatile, computer-readable memory medium on which an executable program code is saved, which is configured to prompt a measurement system to carry out a method according to claim 1 .

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each of the measuring elements includes an antenna configured to detect measurement data.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each of the measuring elements includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) read/write head.

Assignees

• Turck Holding Gmbh

Inventors

• Steiner Rene
• Schmermund Christoph
• Strunkmann Peter

Classifications

• Y02P90/02

  Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] · CPC title

• G05B19/4183 Primary

  characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification · CPC title

• G06K19/0716

  at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor · CPC title

• G06F12/0875 Primary

  with dedicated cache, e.g. instruction or stack · CPC title

• G01D21/02 Primary

  Measuring two or more variables by means not covered by a single other subclass · CPC title