Transducer Electronic Data Sheets: Why not print them?

The paper presents a new approach to store and read Transducer Electronic Data Sheets (TEDS) compliant with the IEEE 1451.4 standard. The idea is to take the bit stream of the TEDS structure and store it on a non-volatile, easy-to-read, cheap support as is the case of 2D bar codes. The TEDS structure can thus be stuck to the transducer case or printed on catalogues, ready to be read anytime and anywhere by a scanner device. Experimental tests involving a Pt100 and a semiconductor temperature sensor are described to illustrate the concept. The tests include the generation of TEDS structures, their conversion to 2D bar codes and their reading back. The encoding is done online using a free web service; the decoding is done offline using a simple webcam and some image processing functions. LabVIEW code is presented to illustrate the encoding and decoding processes.