Transducer Electronic Data Sheets:
Why Not Print Them?
Vítor Viegas
J. M. Dias Pereira
DSI/ ESTSetúbal/ Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal,
2910-761 Setúbal, Portugal
vitor.viegas@estsetubal.ips.pt
Abstract – 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.
Keywords – Transducer Electronic Data Sheets (TEDS), QR
code, 2D bar code, smart transducer, IEEE 1451
I. INTRODUCTION
The paper presents a new approach to store and read IEEE
1451.4 TEDS structures using 2D bar codes. This version of
TEDS (less electronic) can be printed on a simple sheet of
paper, a sticker or a PDF file. The datasheet can thus be stuck
to the transducer case or printed in catalogues, right there in
front of you, visible with the eyes and touchable with the hands
(yet not readable).
In this section we give an overview about the foundations
of the work, namely the IEEE 1451.4 standard and Quick
Response (QR) codes. The overview only covers the topics
needed to understand the remaining of the paper. Deeper
information can be found in the references.
A. IEEE 1451.4
The IEEE 1451.4 standard [1] [2] [3] defines digital wiring,
communication protocols and TEDS structures to make analog
transducers smarter (i.e. compatible with the IEEE 1451 family
of standards [4]). The idea is to embed the TEDS on the
transducer (using an EEPROM memory or similar) and add a
digital communication interface to access it. The
communication interface can share the same wiring of the
Instituto de Telecomunicações PEst-OE/EEi/LA0008/2013 kindly supported
the work reported.
Vítor Viegas
Pedro Silva Girão
Octavian Postolache
J. M. Dias Pereira
Instituto de Telecomunicações,
1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
analog signal or use its own wiring. The TEDS is all the
measurement system needs to automatically configure the
transducer and use it effectively.
The TEDS is deliberately compact to occupy the smallest
amount of memory. Still it contains all the information needed
for a measurement system to use the transducer properly. This
includes data to identify the transducer, describe its capabilities
and reflect its calibration condition. This data is organized in
two main parts (see figure 1):
1. Basic TEDS (mandatory, read-only, 64 bits length):
Contains the transducer ID composed by the following
fields: manufacturer ID (14 bits), model number (15
bits), version letter (5 bits), version number (6 bits) and
serial number (24 bits). The emission, maintenance and
revocation of manufacturer ID is regulated by the
IEEE.
2. User and Manufacturer TEDS (optional, variable size):
Describes the technical characteristics of the transducer
and provides information about its calibration. The
data is organized according standard templates that
cover the most common types of transducers
(accelerometers, voltage output sensors, current output
transmitters, thermocouples and much more).
Templates 25 to 39 are used to store technical
specifications, while templates 40 to 42 are specific for
calibration data. The user is allowed to add free-style
data at the end of the TEDS. Tables I and II show the
use of templates 30 and 37 to describe, respectively,
the temperature sensor LM35 [5] and a Pt100
compliant with the IEC 60751 standard [6].
The TEDS can also become virtual by saving it on a file.
The Virtual TEDS is commonly used as an extension of the
Basic TEDS: the measurement system reads the Basic TEDS
from the transducer, interprets it as a pointer to a web file
(stored on the manufacturer’s website, for example),
downloads the Virtual TEDS and consumes the rich
information it contains. This approach is especially useful for
memory constrained transducers that can just hold the ID and
nothing else.
 Basic TEDS Basic TEDS
B. QR Codes
(64 bits) (64 bits) QR codes [7] [8] were created in 1994 by the Japanese
company Denso Corporation. Their purpose was to track
components in the automotive industry using high-speed
Standard Template TEDS Standard Template TEDS scanners. Today they are used in all kind of tracking
(ID = 25 to 39) (ID = 25 to 39) applications including web links, web logins, code payments,
tourism information and advertising. QR codes are free to use
because Denso Corporation has decided to prescind from its
User data patent rights.
Calibration Template TEDS QR codes are matrices filled with white and black squares
(ID = 40 to 42)
(a) called “modules”. Each module represents one bit of data, 0 or
1 whether it is white or black, respectively. The matrix size can
vary from 21 x 21 modules to 177 x 177 modules, in steps of 4
User data modules in each axis. Each size represents a version, from
version 1 (21 x 21) to version 40 (177 x 177). The matrix has
(b) to be surrounded by a white guard with at least 4 modules
Figure 1. TEDS layout: a) transducer with standard template; b) transducer width. There are no requirements in terms of module size: they
with standard and calibration templates. can be a fraction of millimeter or a dozen meters. Of course,
scanners will have difficulties to read very tiny modules and
TABLE I. TEDS OF THE TEMPERATURE SENSOR LM35
will need to be quite far away to read very large ones.
TEDS Property/Command Bits Value
QR codes support four different encoding methods:
0
Manufacturer ID 14
(Texas Instruments has no ID)  Numeric (digits 0-9): Digits are grouped in sets of
Model number 15 0
Basic
Version letter 5 A three and the corresponding value is represented by 10
Version number 6 1 bits.
Serial number 24 0
Template ID
Select Case {Physical Measurand}
8
6
30
ºC
 Alphanumeric (characters 0-9, A-Z upper-case only,
Minimum Physical Value 32 0 space, $, %, *, +, -, ., /, :): Characters are grouped in
Maximum Physical Value 32 +100
Select Case
sets of two, C1 and C0, each character having a
2 3
{Full-Scale Electrical Value Precision} numerical value from 0 to 44. The value of each set is
Minimum Voltage Output 32 0
Maximum Voltage Output 32 1
calculated as C1 x 45 + C0 and represented by 11 bits.
Select Case
Standard
Template
{Excitation/Power requirements}
1 1  Byte: Data is encoded in bytes according the ISO
Power Supply Level, Nominal 9 5V
Power Supply Level, Minimum 9 4V
8859-1 standard [9] (which is compatible with the
Power Supply Level, Maximum 9 30 V ASCII table).
Power Supply Type 2 DC
Maximum Current at Nominal Power Level 6 60 µA  Kanji: Used for the Japanese alphabet.
Calibration Date 16 01-01-2014
Calibration Initials 15 VV
Calibration Period 12 365 days
Scanners can recover from multiple errors because QR
Measurement Location ID 11 0 codes implement the Reed-Solomon correction algorithm [10]
[11]. Four different correction levels are allowed: L with 7% of
TABLE II. TEDS OF THE PT100 redundant data, M with 15% of redundant data, Q with 25% of
redundant data and H with 30% of redundant data. Higher
TEDS Property/Command Bits Value
correction levels allow data to be recovered more easily in case
30
Manufacturer ID 14
(National Instruments)
the module is damaged or obscured.
Model Number 15 33
Basic
Version Letter 5 A Figure 2 shows the basic structure of a QR code, which
Version Number 6 1 includes the following elements:
Serial Number 24 0
Template ID
Minimum Temperature
8
11
37
-50 ºC  Guard: Strip containing 4 white modules that
Maximum Temperature 11 +205 ºC surrounds the symbol and isolates it from the other
Minimum Electrical Output 11 80.31 Ω
Maximum Electrical Output 13 177.69 Ω
things in the neighborhood.
0
Select Case {R0 Resistance} 2
(100 Ω)  Finder pattern: Three big squares of alternating tones
1
Standard
Select Case
(A = 3.9083E-3 ;
(7 x 7 modules) positioned in all corners of the symbol
{RTD Curve, 3
Template
Callendar-Van-Dusen Coefficients}
B = -5.7750E-7 ; except the bottom right. It identifies the symbol as a
C = -4.183E-12)
Sensor Response Time 6 1s QR code and establishes its orientation on the plane.
Excitation Current, Nominal 8 500 µA
Excitation Current, Maximum 8 10 mA  Alignment pattern: Smaller square with a black module
Calibration Date 16 01-01-2014
Calibration Initials 15 VV
at the center. It helps scanners convert a skewed
Calibration Period 12 365 days photograph into a virtual matrix. Higher versions have
Measurement Location ID 11 0
more alignment patterns located in pre-defined
positions across the symbol.
  Synchronization pattern: Strip of alternating tones
located vertically and horizontally between the finder
patterns. It helps scanners calculate the module width
on the virtual matrix.
 Version information: Indicates which version is being
used.
 Format information: Indicates the error correction level
and the mask pattern used for the symbol. Masking is
needed to break up patterns that might confuse the
scanner, such as large white areas and combinations
that look like alignment marks.
 Data and error correction: Payload mixed with
redundant data for error correction.
The capacity of QR codes depends on the version, the
encoding method and the error correction level. Table III
shows the amount of data stored in a 40-L code for different
encoding methods. The indicated values seem to be sufficient
to support TEDS structures.
where cht=qr tells to generate images of type QR code,
chs=<width>x<height> defines the image size in pixels,
chl=<data> indicates the data to be encoded as a byte array,
choe=UTF-8 selects the byte encoding method, and
chld=<error connection level> indicates the error correction
level to be used (L, M, Q or H). The service automatically
chooses the best version to fit the data to be encoded.
Figure 3 shows a LabVIEW program that receives the
Virtual TEDS and returns the corresponding QR code. Behind
the scenes, the program takes the bit stream from the file,
converts it into a hex string, builds the GET request, reads the
response and draws the image. The user can choose the size of
the image and the error correction level. The image can be
saved on a bitmap (bmp) or metafile (emf) file. Figures 4 and 5
show, respectively, the program output for the files LM35.ted
and RDT.ted using a correction level of 15%.

Figure 3. QR encoder.

Figure 2. Basic structure of a QR code.

TABLE III. CAPACITY OF A 40-L QR CODE

Hex string encoded =
Encoding Maximum Number of Elements Bits/Element “000000200400000078040000000000
Numeric 7089 digits 3⅓ 00C84203000000000000FE00007B8
Alphanumeric 4296 characters 5½ C132B91A62DAC056D018001”
Byte 2953 bytes 8
Kanji 1817 characters 13

II. CONVERSION OF TEDS STRUCTURES INTO QR CODES Figure 4. QR code generated for the LM35 sensor.
To demonstrate the conversion process, we decided to
generate our own TEDS structures. For this purpose, we used
the TEDS Library for LabVIEW [12] to build Virtual TEDS
for the sensors described in tables I and II. As a result, we
obtained the files LM35.ted and RTD.ted with sizes of 41 bytes
Hex string encoded =
and 26 bytes, respectively. “1E4008200400000094588232508805
The conversion of Virtual TEDS into the corresponding QR A407C89DB6B016B4050006”
code is facilitated by free web services that implement the
coding routine. A good example is Google Infographics [13], a
web service that creates QR codes on the fly by making simple
HTTP GET requests. The service has the following syntax:
Figure 5. QR code generated for the Pt100.
http://chart.googleapis.com/chart?cht=qr&chs=<width>x<hei
ght>&chl=<data>&choe=UTF-8&chld=<error connection
level>
 III. QR CODE DECODING
The generation of QR codes can be done online since the
image is generated only once and reused many times. The
decoding process, however, must be able to be done offline as
it can occur anytime anywhere.
Figure 6 shows a LabVIEW program that is capable of
decoding QR codes as the one generated for the LM35 sensor
(compare figures 4 and 6). The program takes a photo of the
QR code and decodes it making use of NI Vision Software
[14]. The snapshot is converted into a grayscale image,
equalized using the histogram method and applied to the
decoding function. The decoded data is presented on the front
panel (as a hex string) and converted to a Virtual TEDS.
Other implementation alternatives exist, both in terms of
image acquisition and image processing. Image acquisition can
be done using general-purpose drivers, as is the case of the
DirectShow driver [15] available for Windows 7 and earlier, or
the MediaCapture API [16] available for Windows 8 and later.
Image processing can be done using free QR decoders, as is the
case of the ZXing library [17] developed in Java. The ZXing
library can be ported to Android systems, which opens the door
to develop a portable TEDS viewer for smartphones.
(a)
(b)
Figure 6. QR decoder: a) diagram block; b) front panel.
IV. CONCLUSIONS
Embedded TEDS, Virtual TEDS and Printed TEDS are
three complementary ways to store and disseminate
information about the transducer. Embedded and Virtual TEDS
are electronic versions of TEDS: they are stored as electric or
magnetic signals and are accessed through digital
communication interfaces. Printed TEDS, instead, is stored as
an image that can be placed on any surface (paper, e-paper or
the transducer case). The image is visually identifiable and the
information it contains can easily be decoded by common
scanners without having to power-up the transducer and
connect it to special hardware. This can be very useful for on-
field maintenance and asset identification.
REFERENCES
[1] IEEE Std 1451.4 – IEEE Standard for a Smart Transducer Interface for
Sensors and Actuators – Mixed-Mode Communication Protocols and
Transducer Electronic Data Sheet (TEDS) Formats, IEEE
Instrumentation and Measurement Society, USA, 2004.
[2] What is 1451.4, what are its uses and how does it work?,
http://standards.ieee.org/develop/regauth/tut/1451d4.pdf
[3] An Overview of IEEE 1451.4 Transducer Electronic Data Sheets,
http://standards.ieee.org/develop/regauth/tut/teds.pdf
[4] Engene Y. Song, Kang Lee, “Understanding IEEE 1451 – Networked
Smart Transducer Interface Standard”, IEEE Instrumentation &
Measurement Magazine, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 11-17, April 2008.
[5] http://www.ti.com/product/lm35
[6] IEC 60751 – Industrial platinum resistance thermometers and platinum
temperature sensors, International Electrotechnical Commission,
Switzerland, 2008.
[7] ISO/IEC 18004 – Information technology – Automatic identification and
data capture techniques – QR Code 2005 bar code symbology
specification, International Electrotechnical Commission, Switzerland,
2006.
[8] Answers to your questions about the QR Code,
http://www.qrcode.com/en
[9] ISO/IEC 8859-1 – Information technology – 8-bit single-byte coded
graphic character sets – Part1: Latin alphabet No. 1, International
Electrotechnical Commission, Switzerland, 1998.
[10] Stephen B. Wicker, Vijay K. Bhargava, “An Introduction to Reed-
Solomon Codes”, in Reed-Solomon Codes and Their Applications,
Wiley-IEEE Press, USA, 1999, ISBN 978-0780353916.
[11] Reed-Solomon codes for coders,
http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Reed%E2%80%93Solomon_codes_for_co
ders
[12] How Do I Create a Virtual TEDS for My Transducer/Sensor?,
http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/B0B0FFA7203ACC168625714300
680CA0
[13] Google Chart Tools: Infographics,
https://developers.google.com/chart/infographics/docs/qr_codes
[14] NI Vision Software, http://www.ni.com/vision/software
[15] Directshow.net library, http://directshownet.sourceforge.net
[16] Quickstart: capturing video using the MediaCapture API,
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh452791.aspx
[17] ZXing project, https://github.com/zxing