Universal frequencytodigital converter for quasidigital and smart sensors specifications and applications

Purpose To provide detailed information about the novel universal frequencytodigital converter UFDC1, which can help engineers and researchers to design new digital sensors and transducers, as well as smart sensors and sensor systems. Designmethodologyapproach The high performance of the UFDC1 is achieved by using four novel measuring methods for frequencytime parameters. All existing integrated frequencytodigital converters and frequency time output sensors have been reviewed and current design requirements for the UFDC1 have been formulated. Findings The UFDC1 enables the transition from traditional analog voltage and current sensors output to frequencytime output. This yields a lot of benefits due to the properties of frequency as informative parameter. No output standardization is necessary, as opposed to the case of analog output sensors. Users can now work with the UFDC1, the same as with traditional ADCs. Sensor manufacturers can simply integrate the UFDC1 in microsystems and digital output sensors in order to produce serial output or bus capability. Practical implications The UFDC1 has many applications obtaining a digital output from any frequency, period, dutycycle, time interval, phaseshift, pulse number output sensors, up to one chip digital sensors design and smart selfadaptive sensors, thanks to its programmable relative error and nonredundant conversion time. The UFDC1 can work with any existing frequencytime domain sensor to produce a digital output or create multiparametric smart sensors and systems. Originalityvalue This paper fulfils an identified information need and offers practical help to engineers and researchers in designing new digital sensors and transducers, as well as smart sensors and systems using a minimum of hardware.