VIP Sensors introduces The Smart Sensor Network System, a brand new type of sensor measurement and control system which utilizes a multi-drop network sensor-actuator architecture. This system allows a drastic reduction of interconnecting cables, lowers installation and system costs, increases noise immunity and increases over all performance. The Smart Sensors Network System is a distributed sensor instrumentation system with synchronous/simultaneous sampling consisting of miniature smart digital sensors and transducer modules interconnected to a Network Interface Controller (NIC) through a multi-drop digital serial bus (IntelliBus™). Small transducer modules called IBIMs (IntelliBus Interface Modules) are used to interface any traditional analog transducer to the bi-directional digital bus.

The Network Interface Controller (NIC) Model 6100 is a PC plug in card which provides DC power and the necessary control logic to achieve high throughput synchronous and simultaneous data sampling among all the IBIMs on the transducer bus. It controls the bus communication traffic running at 15 Mbps based on the IntelliBus protocol.

VIP Sensors Model 2300 is a piezoelectric accelerometer with all the necessary electronics to provide digital output with programmable full scale ranges from ± 1.2 g to ± 500 g, programmable high frequency bands from 10 Hz to 12 kHz and programmable sample rates up to 250 ksps.

VIP Sensors Model 2330 is a 3-axis piezoelectric accelerometer with all the necessary electronics to provide digital output with programmable full scale ranges from ± 0.5 g to ± 500 g, programmable high frequency bands from 10 Hz to 12 kHz and programmable sample rates up to 250 ksps.

VIP Sensors Model 2600 is a high performance MEMS Piezoresistive accelerometer with all the necessary electronics to provide digital output with programmable full scale ranges from ± 12.5 g to ± 1000 g within a DC to 5kHz bandwidth. It features a programmable high pass filter 10 Hz to 12 kHz and programmable sample rates up to 250 ksps.

The Transducer Interface Modules Model 6003, 6004, 6005 and 6006 allow traditional analog transducer types to connect to the transducer bus and send digital data. Each of these small modules (1.5" x 1.5" x 0.6") consists of three low noise instrumentation amplifier channels with programmable gain (0.5 to 1000), offset, and high pass filter corner frequency. There is one 16-bit A/D converter per channel with programmable sample rate up to 250 ksps. A powerful microprocessor allows the implementation of digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms such as filters, data correction, FFTs, etc. The front end instrumentation amplifier allow conditioning of bridge type transducers such as strain gages, accelerometers, thermocouples, pressure transducers, etc. New IBIM modules will include other interface types.

The Base Interface Module 6003 and 6006 are stand alone units. Besides providing signal conditioning and processing functions, they connect directly to the transducer bus and supports the formation of module stacks in order to increase the channel count density. A single stack (one base module) and Add-on modules such as Model 6004 and 6005 may form stacks of thirty three (33) channels in 1.5" x 1.5" x 5.8" volume.