Understanding Smart Sensors - Nomads.usp

13The Implications of Smart SensorStandardsAnd their marvelous instruments still continued to function, watching overthe experiments started so many years ago.—Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey13.1 IntroductionIndustry standards for smart sensors, including the IEEE 1451 family and othersthat have been initiated for control applications, should accomplish whattheir architects envision: reducing the barriers to acceptance and thereforeaccelerating the development and use of new smart sensors in existing andadvanced systems. Some of the capabilities that the IEEE 1451 standards willenable have already been demonstrated. Other possibilities are being proposedand developed by companies with a vision for the future. This chapter discusseshow plug-and-play makes sensors smarter and easier to deal with in the realworld and the advanced communication and control capabilities that smartsensors can bring to control systems, the Ethernet and the Internet.13.2 Sensor Plug-and-PlayUsing a computer technology and an object-oriented technology approach tosensing is behind several standard approaches. In addition to the IEEE 1451297