PRODUCT DESCRIPTION The Universal Transducer Interface (UTI) is a sensor-to-time signal converter, based on a period-modulated oscillator. Sensing elements can be directly connected to the UTI without the need for extra electronics to interface all different sensor type.
The UTI can operate in 16 different modes. To obtain accurate results in any of the modes, one reference element of the same kind as the sensor is required. Note that this reference is already included in resistive bridges, so no external components are required in this mode. The UTI provides interfacing for:
Capacitive sensors 0-2pF, 0-12pF, variable range up to 300pF
Platinum resistors Pt100, Pt1000
Thermistors 1 KOhm-25 KOhm at room temperature
Resistive bridges 25 Ohm-10 KOhm with maximum imbalance +/- 4% or +/- 0.25%
Potentiometers 1 KOhm-50 KOhm
Combinations of the above mentioned
In the exactly same way as the unknown sensor signal is measured, both a reference signal and a internal (constant) offset are measured during two additional phases. Continuous auto-calibration of offset and gain of the complete system is then achieved by processing these values (time signals) by microcontroller software. The output signal of the UTI is very simple and has discrete amplitude (VDD), so it is compatible with any type micro-controller.
