New One Data Wire Serial Bus for Distributed Sensor Arrays

This article presents a one-data wire communication protocol, developed by Sensichips s.r.l., for multisensor readout applications with advantages in transfer efficiency and readout speed over currently used protocols. The protocol has been named Sensibus (SB), which is a multidrop single-controller, multiple-responder-type asynchronous protocol, and takes some features of standard serial data buses, improving the addressing and data transfer efficiency aspects. It allows multiple real-time writings and readings and supports beam-forming applications through sensor-level programmatic delays. In the case of sensor arrays, that is, ultrasonic sensing, the ability to perform beam-forming and beam-steering provides better detection in a preferential spatial direction through precise and accurate programmable delays. The SB was then implemented on a cable and used for gas measurements with distributed sensors to demonstrate their actual effectiveness. This work opens the door to new applications for distributed sensing, enabling fast measurements for real-time tasks: the simplicity of the protocol makes it easily implementable and low cost, ideal for what is required by the Internet-of-Things (IoT) standards.