Tone wheel sensor tester

• US 7,111,489 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2004
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FCA US LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Corporation (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Deweerdt, Thomas E, LeBourdais, Ronald A, Arntz, Robert T
• Primary Examiner(s): RAEVIS, ROBERT R
• Application Number:
  US10/857,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20050262921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 73/13.7, 73/14.1, 731/181, 324/500, 324/537, 324/546, 324/555, 324/556, 324/503, 324/538
• US Class Current: 73/1.37
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/08 with provision for safeguarding the apparatus, e.g. against abnormal operation, against breakdown
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/02 of speedometers

Abstract

An electrical diagnostic tool for in situ testing of a tone wheel sensor mounted in proximity of a rotatable tone wheel. The tone wheel sensor produces a periodic pulse train signal as the rotatable tone wheel is rotated. The tool has a signal conditioning block for receiving the periodic pulse train signal and generating therefrom a logic-level signal having a frequency. A digital counter has a plurality of outputs and is clocked by the logic-level signal. A plurality of LEDs controlled by the digital counter are used to determine the operational condition of the tone wheel sensor by sequentially illuminating the LEDs at the frequency and in accordance with a counting sequence of the digital counter.

Claims

1. An electrical diagnostic tool for in situ testing of a tone wheel sensor mounted in proximity of a rotatable tone wheel and where the tone wheel sensor produces a periodic pulse train signal as the rotatable tone wheel is rotated, the tool comprising:

a signal conditioning block for receiving the periodic pulse train signal and generating therefrom a logic-level pulse signal having a frequency;

a digital counter clocked by said logic-level pulse signal and having a plurality of outputs sequentially activated in accordance with a count of logic-level signal pulses; and

a plurality of LEDs each coupled to one of the plurality of outputs of said digital counter, the operational condition of the tone wheel sensor being indicated by a frequency and sequence of illumination of the LEDs by the digital counter outputs.

2. The diagnostic tool of claim 1 further comprising an indicator element coupled to the signal conditioning block for receiving an indication of a tone wheel sensor fault condition.

3. The diagnostic tool of claim 1 further comprising a power supply for providing an excitation voltage to the tone wheel sensor.

4. The diagnostic tool of claim 3 wherein said power supply generates a plurality of excitation voltages each corresponding to one of a like plurality of tone wheel sensor types.

5. The diagnostic tool of claim 3 further comprising a fault indicator LED for indicating that the power supply is shorted.

6. The diagnostic toot of claim 1 wherein said signal conditioning block comprises a window comparator circuit for indicating the logic states of the periodic pulse train.

7. The diagnostic tool of claim 1 further comprising a buzzer circuit for providing a tone coincident with each pulse of said pulse train signal.

8. The diagnostic tool of claim 1 wherein said plurality of LEDs are arranged in a geometric pattern.

9. The diagnostic tool of claim 8 wherein said geometric pattern is circular.

10. The diagnostic tool of claim 1 wherein said digital counter is a Johnson counter.

11. An electrical diagnostic tool for in situ testing of a tone wheel sensor mounted in proximity of a rotatable tone wheel and where the tone wheel sensor produces a periodic pulse train signal as the rotatable tone wheel is rotated, the tool comprising:

a signal conditioning block for receiving the periodic pulse train signal and generating therefrom a logic-level pulse signal having a frequency;

a divide-by-N counter clocked by said logic-level pulse signal and generating therefrom a pulse train at a second frequency;

a digital counter clocked by said pulse train at said second frequency and having a plurality of outputs sequentially activated in accordance with a count of pulses in the logic-level pulse signal; and

a plurality of LEDs each coupled to one of the plurality of outputs of said digital counter, a proper operational condition of the tone wheel sensor being indicated by the LEDs being sequentially illuminated at said second frequency and in accordance with a counting sequence of said digital counter.

12. The diagnostic tool of claim 11 further comprising an indicator element coupled to the signal conditioning block for receiving an indication of a tone wheel sensor fault condition.

13. The diagnostic tool of claim 11 further comprising a power supply for providing an excitation voltage to the tone wheel sensor.

14. The diagnostic tool of claim 13 wherein said power supply generates a plurality of excitation voltages each corresponding to one of a like plurality of tone wheel sensor types voltages.

15. The diagnostic tool of claim 13 further comprising a fault indicator LED for indicating that the power supply is shorted.

16. The diagnostic tool of claim 11 wherein said signal conditioning block comprises a window comparator circuit for indicating the logic states of the periodic pulse train.

17. The diagnostic tool of claim 11 further comprising a buzzer circuit for providing a tone coincident with each pulse of said pulse train signal at said second frequency.

18. The diagnostic tool of claim 11 wherein said plurality of LEDs are arranged in a geometric pattern.

19. The diagnostic tool of claim 18 wherein said geometric pattern is circular.

20. The diagnostic tool of claim 11 wherein said digital counter is a Johnson counter.