IN-VEHICLE SENSOR AND IN-VEHICLE SENSOR SYSTEM

• US 20140344499A1
• Filed: 05/15/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NGK Spark PLUG Company Limited
• Original Assignee: NGK Spark PLUG Company Limited
• Inventors: UEMURA, Tomonori, HISADA, Kaoru
• Granted Patent: US 9,658,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4086 Bus impedance matching, e.g. termination
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40006 Architecture of a communication node current supply arrangements H04L12/10; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle

Abstract

An in-vehicle sensor (1) mounted on a vehicle VE and connected to a communication bus CAN including a bus connection connector (40) for connection to the CAN and external terminals (T3, T4) for communication, and one or a plurality of external terminals (T5, T6) for setting each brought into either of a first connection state not connected to any potential and a second connection state connected to a ground potential GND; a judgment section S1-S4, S5-S7 for setting whether the connection state is the first connection state or the second connection state; and an identifier setting section S8 which sets an identifier ID of the in-vehicle sensor (1) used on the communication bus CAN based on the judged connection state(s) for setting of the one or plurality of external terminals (T5, T6).

Claims

1. An in-vehicle sensor which is to be mounted on a vehicle and is to be connected to a communication bus constructed in the vehicle, comprising:

a bus connection connector used for connection to the communication bus and including one or a plurality of communication external terminals to be connected to a communication line of the communication bus through which communication data flow, and one or a plurality of external terminals for setting each brought into a connection state which is either of a first connection state in which it is not connected to any potential outside the in-vehicle sensor and a second connection state in which it is connected to a ground potential outside the in-vehicle sensor;

a judgment section which judges for the one or plurality of external terminals for setting whether the connection state is the first connection state or the second connection state; and

an identifier setting section which sets an identifier of the in-vehicle sensor used on the communication bus on the basis of the judged connection state(s) of the one or plurality of external terminals for setting.

2. An in-vehicle sensor as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor having an input signal port to which an input signal is input,

wherein the judgment section comprises:

a level generation circuit which is connected to the external terminal for setting and the input signal port and generates the input signal whose voltage level depends on the connection state of the external terminal for setting; and

a level judgment section which judges, on the basis of the voltage level of the input signal input to the input signal port, whether the connection state of the external terminal for setting is the first connection state or the second connection state.

3. An in-vehicle sensor as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a potential generation section which generates a constant potential for judgment,

wherein the level generation circuit connects the external terminal for setting to the potential for judgment through a resistor, and generates the input signal through use of the potential of the external terminal for setting.

4. An in-vehicle sensor as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor having an input signal port to which an input signal is input and an output signal port from which an output signal is output,

wherein the judgment section comprises:

an input generation circuit which is connected to the external terminal for setting, the input signal port, and the output signal port and which generates, as the input signal, a first input signal when the connection state of the external terminal for setting is the first connection state or a second input signal when the connection state of the external terminal for setting is the second connection state, at least one of the first and second input signals changing in response to a change in the output signal, and the first and second input signals being different from each other;

an output changing section which changes the output signal output from the output signal port; and

a response judgment section which judges whether the connection state of the external terminal for setting is the first connection state or the second connection state through use of a response of the input signal input to the input signal port to the change of the output signal.

5. An in-vehicle sensor as claimed in claim 4, wherein the input generation circuit is a circuit which connects the input signal port to the external terminal for setting and connects the input signal port to the output signal port through a resistor.

6. An in-vehicle sensor system comprising a plurality of in-vehicle sensors as claimed in claim 1 and the communication bus to which the in-vehicle sensors are connected,

the in-vehicle sensor system including a plurality of connection paths which connect the in-vehicle sensors to the communication bus and each of which includes a sensor connection connector provided for each of the plurality of in-vehicle sensors and mated with the bus connection connector of the corresponding in-vehicle sensor,

wherein each of the plurality of connection paths includes

a connection path for communication for connecting the one or plurality of communication external terminals of the bus connection connector to the communication line of the communication bus, and

one or a plurality of setting paths each of which prevents the external terminal for setting from being connected to any potential or connects the external terminal for setting to the ground potential to thereby set the connection state of the external terminal for setting to the first connection state or the second connection state,

wherein the one or plurality of setting paths differ among the connection paths in terms of the connection states of the external terminals for setting set by the setting paths or a combination thereof, whereby the identifiers of all the in-vehicle sensors are made different from one another.