System for transmitting the position of a control element

• US 7,123,002 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Fey, Wolfgang, Beckmann, Tobias, Rink, Klaus, Engelmann, Mario, Lohberg, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): LEDYNH, BOT L
• Application Number:
  US11/083,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20050162159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 324/207.11, 324/207.13, 324/244
• US Class Current: 324/207.11
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 15/54 for controlling exhaust from triple valve or from brake cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/18 Safety devices; Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2220/04 Pedal travel sensor, stroke sensor; Sensing brake request
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/042 by electrical means, e.g. using travel or force sensors

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for reliably transmitting the position of a control element to an electronic processing unit by way of electric signal lines, wherein the position signal is transmitted by way of several signal channels, and use thereof in a motor vehicle brake system. The present invention further describes a position transmitter for transmitting position signals with a magnetic encoder which is displaceable by a control element in relation to a magnetic transformer, wherein the magnetic transformer(s) along with an integrated electronic signal-conditioning circuit are arranged in an electronic sensor subassembly, as well as a receiving device for receiving a position signal comprising several processing channels for processing the position signals of the position transmitter.

Claims

1. A position transmitting system, comprising:

a moveable control element having magnetic zones along a direction of displacement;

one or more magnetic transformer; and

an electronic signal-conditioning circuit arranged in an electronic sensor subassembly, wherein the electronic signal-conditioning circuit is at least partially integrated with the one or more magnetic transformer, and the signal-conditioning circuit includes one or more electric signal lines that are coded with time-varying signals, the time-varying signals are coded in dependence on a position of the control element.

2. A position transmitting system according to claim 1, wherein the time-varying signals are pulse-coded.

3. A position transmitting system according to claim 2, wherein the pulse coded signals are generated when the position of the control element has changed corresponding to a width of a zone of an encoder.

4. A position transmitting system according to claim 3, wherein pulses of a first type are transmitted when the control element moves in a first direction, and pulses of a second type are transmitted when the transmitter moves in a second direction, wherein the pulses of the first and second type differ by their pulse shape.

5. A position transmitting system according to claim 2, further including a receiving device for receiving a position signal transmitted via said one or more electric signal lines, wherein the receiving device includes one processing channel for each respectively associated electric signal line.

6. A position transmitting system according to claim 5, further including one or more counter for counting pulse-coded signals transmitted by way of the electric signal lines is provided in the processing channels.

7. A position transmitting system according to claim 6, wherein each channel includes at least one pulse-distinguishing device connected to the counters wherein the counters count upwards when pulses of a first type are received, and the counters count downwards when pulses of a second type are received.

8. A position transmitting system, comprising:

a moveable control element having magnetic zones along a direction of displacement;

one or more magnetic transformer;

an electronic signal-conditioning circuit arranged in an electronic sensor subassembly, wherein the electronic signal-conditioning circuit is at least partially integrated with the one or more magnetic transformer, and the signal-conditioning circuit includes one or more electric signal lines that are coded with time-varying signals, the time-varying signals are coded in dependence on a position of the control element; and

a two-stage wake-up circuit coupled to at least one of the electric signal lines, wherein the two-stage wake-up circuit awakens into a first stage on a preliminary basis wherein a first stage includes a preliminary evaluation of the input signal with respect to detecting an input signal valid for wake-up, wherein a second stage is enabled when the first stage has detected a valid pulse, wherein the second stage includes performing a final check with respect to a valid wake-up pulse.