DAS – intelligent data acquisition system

iDAS: SRI’s intelligent data acquisition system, iDAS, includes a controller and various application specific modules. The controller communicates to PC via Ethernet and/or CAN Bus, and also controls and provides power to various application modules via SRI’s proprietary iBUS. The application modules include Sensor Module, Thermal-Couple Module and High Voltage Module, each of which performs a specific task. iDAS is divided into two categories: iDAS-GE and iDAS-VR. iDAS-GE system is for general applications, and iDAS-VR is specifically designed for vehicle on-road tests.

iBUS: The SRI’s proprietary bus system has 5 wires for power and communication. The iBUS has a maximum speed of 40Mbps for the Integrated System or 4.5Mbps for the Distributed System.

Integrated System:  The controller and application modules are mounted together as one complete unit. The number of application modules for each controller is limited by the power source.

Distributed System:  When the controller and the application modules are far apart (up to 100m) from each other, they can be linked together via the iBUS cable. In this application, the sensor module is typically embedded into the sensor (iSENSOR). iSENSOR will have an iBUS cable that replaces the original analog output cable. Each iSENSOR can have multiple channels. For example, a 6 axis loadcell has 6 channels. The number of iSENSOR for each iBUS is limited by the power source.