A VHDL Model of a IEEE1451.2 Smart Sensor: Characterization and Applications

Author

Depari, Alessandro ; Ferrari, Paolo ; Flammini, Alessandra ; Marioli, Daniele ; Taroni, Andrea

Author_Institution

Dipt. di Elettronica per l´´Automazione, Brescia Univ.

Volume

7

Issue

5

fYear

2007

fDate

5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

619

Lastpage

626

Abstract

New sensors are required to be small, cheap, and smart. This paper deals with intelligent sensors embedded in a single chip: a VHDL model of an IEEE1451.2 Smart Sensor is proposed to obtain a portable STIM block suitable for customizable compact solutions and allowing low-cost, large-scale production. In order to evaluate performances of the proposed model, working prototypes have been built and some tests have been carried out in a real case (chemical detection sensors). The proposed VHDL model has been compared with traditional, software-based, microcontroller solutions showing that a timing performance improvement greater than 50% can be obtained. Finally, to exemplify effectiveness of a portable VHDL model, a single-chip sensor with USB interface and integrated IEEE1451 structures has been realized and experimentally characterized

Keywords

IEEE standards; hardware description languages; intelligent sensors; IEEE 1451.2 smart sensor; USB interface; VHDL model; intelligent sensors; large-scale production; microcontroller solutions; single-chip sensor; Chemical sensors; Intelligent sensors; Large-scale systems; Microcontrollers; Performance evaluation; Production; Prototypes; Sensor phenomena and characterization; Software prototyping; Testing; Hardware design languages; IEEE 1451; USB; intelligent sensors; microcontrollers; networks; transducers;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Sensors Journal, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1530-437X

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/JSEN.2007.894900

Filename

4154668