Measurement transducer for process instrumentation, and method for monitoring the state of its sensor
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsEric Chemisky, Slava Friesen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A measurement transducer for process instrumentation includes a sensor for detecting a physical or chemical quantity, where a supply voltage to the sensor is regulated by a cross regulator to a constant value, and the current intensity of the current adjusted by the cross regulator and flowing parallel to the sensor is determined and monitored to maintain a specified criterion in order to detect a sensor error such that error conditions of the sensor can be determined in a particularly simple and effective way.
Claims7
A measurement transducer for process instrumentation comprising:
- a sensor for detecting a physical or chemical quantity and for generating a measuring signal;
- and
- an activation and evaluation facility for determining and outputting a measured value of the physical or chemical quantity as a function of the measuring signal;
- a resistance connected in series with the sensor to monitor for a breakage;
- and
- a cross regulator connected in parallel with the sensor to supply the sensor with a constant voltage, determine a current intensity of current adjusted by the cross regulator and flowing in parallel to the sensor, and to detect a sensor error aided by monitoring the determined current intensity for monitoring a specified criterion.
A method for monitoring a sensor state to detect a physical or chemical quantity and to generate a measuring signal in a measurement transducer for process instrumentation, the measurement transducer having an activation and evaluation facility for determining and outputting a measured value of the physical or chemical quantity as a function of the measuring signal and the sensor being connected in series with a resistance in order to monitor for a breakage, the method comprising:
- regulating a supply voltage of the sensor to a constant value by a cross regulator which is connected in parallel;
- determining a current intensity of the current adjusted by the cross regulator and flowing in parallel to the sensor;
- and
- monitoring the determined current intensity for maintaining a specified criterion to determine a sensor error.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.