Historical Backgrounds of Sensor Interface Standards
The 1451 was initiated in 1994 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Instrument and Measurement Branch and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to address the traditional sensor integration problem with standard communication interfaces. Currently, P1451 has evolved into seven working groups, four of which are formally approved.
Recently, the P1451.3 working group defined standards for cluster sensor applications and ensuring high speed, synchronous data transfer. At the same time, the P1451.4 working group completed the application of mixed mode communication for analog transmitters, such as digital spreadsheets and analog signals.
About two years ago, National Instruments reported that it recognized the potential value of 1451.4 and began to work more actively with the IEEE working group. NI incentives and IEEE approvals have been the driving force behind the 1451.4 recovery.
