Intelligent Sensor Design Using the Microchip dsPIC (Embedded Technology)
Intelligent seonsors are revolutionizing the world of system design in everything from sports cars to assembly lines. These new sensors have abilities that leave their predecessors in the dust! They not only measure parameters efficiently and precisely, but they also have the ability to enhance and interupt those measurements, thereby transformng raw data into truly useful information.
Unlike many embedded systems books that confine themselves strictly to firmware and software, this book also delves into the supporting electronic hardware, providing the reader with a complete understanding of the issues involved when interfacing to specific types of sensor and offering insight into the real-world problems designers will face. Meaningful software examples are implemented in both C and assembly language, and the source code is included on the accompanying CD. The examples provide a complete, easily extensible code framework for sensor-based applications as well as basic support routines that are often ignored or treated superficially. The goal throughout is to make readers truly productive as quickly as possible while providing the thorough understanding necessary to design robust systems.
Readers will gain in-depth, real-world design information that will help them be more productive and get up to speed on sensor design skills more quickly. The book provides designers and students a leg up in a relatively new design area, imparting knowledge about a new microcontroller that offers some of the functionality of a DSP chip.
· Quickly teaches the reader to design the new wave in sensor technology, "intelligent" sensors
· In-depth design techniques, real-world examples, detailed figures and usable code
· Application chapters thoroughly exploring temperature, pressure and load, and flow sensors
· A FREE CD that provides a toolkit of software models in both C and assembly language
Why Read This Book
You will get a practical, end-to-end treatment of sensor systems: how to design analog front-ends, acquire signals with the dsPIC ADC, and run digital filtering/processing on the controller. The book balances electronics and firmware so you can both build robust sensor hardware and implement the signal-processing algorithms on a dsPIC device.
Who Will Benefit
Embedded engineers and firmware developers working on sensor interfaces and signal-processing tasks who want hands-on examples using Microchip dsPIC controllers.
Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Basic C programming and familiarity with microcontroller concepts; elementary analog electronics (op amps, filters); reading datasheets.
Key Takeaways
- Design analog signal-conditioning circuits (amplifiers, filtering, anti-aliasing) for common sensors.
- Configure and use dsPIC ADCs and timer/peripheral resources for reliable sampling and timing.
- Implement digital signal-processing routines on dsPICs (FIR/IIR filters, basic FFTs, smoothing and calibration).
- Integrate sensors with microcontroller peripherals (SPI, I2C, UART, PWM) and handle real-world noise and interference.
- Develop firmware patterns for sensor calibration, diagnostics, and real-time data handling on resource-constrained controllers.
Topics Covered
- Introduction: What Makes a Sensor 'Intelligent'?
- Overview of Microchip dsPIC Architecture and Peripherals
- Signal Acquisition: ADC Theory, Sampling and Anti-aliasing
- Analog Front-Ends: Amplifiers, Conditioning, and Filtering
- Common Sensor Types and Their Interfaces (temperature, strain, accelerometers, etc.)
- Digital Signal Processing on the dsPIC: Filters, Transforms, and Algorithms
- Firmware Design: Real-time Considerations, Interrupts and Timers
- Communications and Networking: SPI, I2C, UART and Bus Integration
- Noise, Grounding, and PCB Considerations for Sensor Hardware
- Calibration, Diagnostics and Fault Handling
- Case Studies and Worked Projects
- Appendices: Example C Code, Schematics and Component Selection
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
More sensor- and hardware-focused than general PIC texts (e.g., Tim Wilmshurst's PIC books); compared with datasheet-driven dspic resources, this book provides more worked examples integrating analog design and DSP on dsPIC devices.
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