Sensor device

• US 7,775,109 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Uemura, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams; Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah; Samir M
• Application Number:
  US12/615,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20100083757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 280 Days
• Field of Search: 735/041.2, 735/140.1, 734/88, 385/18, 310/365
• US Class Current: 73/504.12
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/56 Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses, e.g. vibratory angular rate sensors based on Coriolis forces
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/166 Mechanical, construction or arrangement details of inertial navigation systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus or devices covered by the preceding groups

Abstract

A sensor device includes a time determining part that determines time point information, and adds the time point information to the output supplied from a part subjected to failure diagnosis and related to generation of a failure detection signal, and to the output related to generation of a sense signal. With this structure, the failure detection signal is correlated with the sense signal by the time point information. Alternatively, the sensor device includes an output circuit that correlates the failure detection signal with the sense signal supplied at the same time point as the failure detection signal, and outputs both signals using a time division method.

Claims

1. A sensor device comprising:

a driving circuit configured to output a drive signal;

a sensing element to which the drive signal from the driving circuit is supplied;

a detecting circuit configured to extract a response signal from the sensing element;

a processing circuit configured to extract a sense signal from the response signal from the detecting circuit;

an output circuit configured to output the sense signal from the processing circuit;

a failure diagnosing circuit configured to determine whether a part subjected to failure diagnosis is normal or abnormal, the part subjected to failure diagnosis being at least one of the detecting circuit, the processing circuit, and the output circuit, the failure diagnosing circuit being further configured to output a failure detection signal based on results of the determination; and

a time determining device configured to determine time point information, add the time point information to an output signal related to generation of the failure detection signal, and add the time point information to an output signal related to generation of the sense signal;

wherein the failure detection signal is correlated with the sense signal, using the time point information.

2. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein, when the output circuit receives the failure detection signal indicating that the part subjected to failure diagnosis is abnormal from the failure diagnosing circuit, the output circuit does not output the sense signal that has time point information at an identical time point with the time point information of the failure detection signal.

3. A sensor device comprising:

a driving circuit configured to output a drive signal;

a sensing element to which the drive signal from the driving circuit is supplied;

a detecting circuit configured to extract a response signal from the sensing element;

a processing circuit configured to extract a sense signal from the response signal from the detecting circuit;

a failure diagnosing circuit configured to determine whether a part subjected to failure diagnosis is normal or abnormal, the part subjected to failure diagnosis being at least one of the detecting circuit, and the processing circuit, the failure diagnosing circuit being further configured to output a failure detection signal based on results of the determination;

an output circuit configured to output the sense signal from the processing circuit and the failure detection signal from the failure diagnosing circuit, using a time sharing method; and

a time determining device configured to determine time point information, add the time point information to an output signal related to generation of the failure detection signal, and add the time point information to an output signal related to generation of the sense signal;

wherein the failure detection signal is correlated with the sense signal, using the time point information.

4. The sensor device according to claim 3, wherein, when the output circuit receives the failure detection signal indicating that the part subjected to failure diagnosis is abnormal from the failure diagnosing circuit, the output circuit does not output the sense signal that has time point information at an identical time point with the time point information of the failure detection signal.