Bi-positional Remote Object Reliable Control using Resistor Analogue Coding on Microcontroller Input

In many safety automation processes, the position of a mechanical object with two stable states must be determined with a high degree of confidence and the information transmitted remotely. For one or more objects located at tens of meters from a control center, a microcontroller may be used to evaluate the voltage created through a resistive network that is set with the help of mechanical position sensors and actuated by the position of the controlled object. There are critical cases in which position interpretation errors, given by mechanical sensors, object-microcontroller connection cables, and microcontroller inputs failures are unacceptable, potentially leading to significant damage, or even physical harm to human beings (e.g., for railway barriers or other mechanical barriers, mechanical railway signals, or doors, access gates in premises). This research proposes a system that allows the microcontroller to precisely identify the state of the controlled object(s) by detecting cases of failure. Data transmission from the microcontroller to the point where the information is needed may be performed through any known communication technology and protocol (wired or wireless). The system is characterized by a particularly low cost, a minimum number of communication channels between the object and the microcontroller, and a wide range of environmental conditions to operate in.