Electronic control type throttle valve apparatus, non-contact type rotation angle detecting apparatus used in electronic control type throttle valve apparatus etc. and signal processing apparatus for hall element

• US 7,235,963 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Wayama, Eisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLLINGTON, JERMELE M
• Application Number:
  US10/986,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20050062468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 324/117.H, 324/207.2, 324/207.23, 324/207.24, 324/207.25
• US Class Current: 324/117.00H
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 11/106 Detection of demand or actuation
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/285 the sensor having a signal processing unit external to the engine control unit
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0404 Throttle position
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/032 affecting incoming signal, e.g. by averaging; gating undesired signals

Abstract

In an electronic control type throttle valve apparatus, a throttle valve position sensor includes a magnet provided at a throttle valve shaft and a hall element which output changes in accordance with the rotational deviation of the magnet. The hall element is housed within a sensor chip together with an amplifier circuit. In a control unit provided separately from the sensor chip, there are provided with an A/D conversion circuit for converting an analog output from the hall element through the amplifier circuit into a digital signal and a digital processing circuit for performing temperature compensation and zero-span adjustment of the hall element in a digital manner.

Claims

1. A rotation angle detecting sensor used in a motor drive type throttle valve and including two hall elements, said sensor comprising:

a resin body containing said hall element and covering a mechanical portion of said motor drive type throttle valve;

plural electric conductors molded in said resin body and including at least a plurality of the following electric conductors,

a connector configured as an external connection, and having plural external connection terminals formed integrally with the resin body;

plural output signal conductors for conducting an output signal of an associated one of said hall elements to a specific output terminal, the output signal conductors being wired from the respective hall elements to the respective external connection terminals;

a power supplying conductor for supplying a driving power to said hall element;

an earth conductor for grounding said hall element; and

first and second capacitors fixed at said resin body, wherein said first capacitor is electrically connected between said power supplying conductor and said earth conductor, and said second capacitor is electrically connected between said output signal conductor and said earth conductor, and includes plural conductors connected electrically between the respective out put signal conductors of the hall elements and the earth conductor.

2. The rotation angle detecting sensor according to claim 1, further including

a microcomputer for inputting an output of the hall element having been converted from an analog signal into a digital signal and outputting an electric signal relating to the output of the hall element;

and

a signal transmission path from an output terminal of the hall element to an input interface of the microcomputer, wherein

the signal transmission path has only one analog-to-digital conversion circuit.

3. The rotation angle detecting sensor according to claim 1, wherein the output of the analog-to-digital conversion circuit is transferred to the microcomputer through a communication line.

4. The rotation angle detecting sensor according to claim 1 further including

two amplifiers for amplifying outputs of the two hall devices, the two amplifiers being attached to the resin body;

a connector, formed at the resin body, for extracting outputs of the two amplifiers;

a circuit apparatus, coupled to the connector, for receiving the output signal of each of the hall devices, wherein an analog-to-digital conversion circuit for converting the output signal of each said hall device is provided at the circuit apparatus.

5. The rotation angle detecting sensor according to claim 1,

wherein, at connection portions between the capacitors and to the electric conductors, the plural output signal conductors are wired at both sides of the power supplying conductor,

a portion of the earth conductor is wired between one of the output signal conductors and the power supplying conductor, and

another portion of the earth conductor is wired between the other output signal conductor and the power supplying conductor.

6. The rotation angle detecting sensor according to claim 1,

wherein at least a part of the connection between the and the electric conductors on the mechanical portion of the resin body are covered by a cover containing the hall elements.

7. The rotation angle detecting sensor according to claim 1,

wherein the output signal conductors of the sensor, the power supplying conductor of the sensor, the earth conductor, and a conductor supplying power to the motor are wired to the external connection terminals.