Sensor device

• US 8,322,214 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2010
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• 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): Kwok, Helen C.
• Application Number:
  US12/834,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20100280794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 735/041.2, 735/041.4, 735/041.5, 735/041.6, 735/040.4, 735/040.2, 735/140.1, 73/13.7, 73/13.8, 73/17.7
• 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 21/16 by integrating acceleration or speed, i.e. inertial navigation
• 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 and an output circuit. The time determining part 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. The output circuit outputs the sense signal with the time point information added by the time determining part after the failure detection signal correlated with the sense signal by the time point information is output.

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

a time determining part 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 and,

the output circuit is further configured to output the sense signal with the time point information added by the time determining part after the failure diagnosing circuit outputs the failure detection signal with the time point information which is the same as the time point information added to the sense signal.

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 electrically coupled to a part subjected to failure diagnosis which is at least one of the detecting circuit and the processing circuit, the failure diagnosing circuit being configured to determine whether the part subjected to failure diagnosis is normal or abnormal, and 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 division method; and

a time determining part 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 and

the output circuit is further configured to output the sense signal with the time point information added by the time determining part after the output circuit outputs the failure detection signal with the time point information which is the same as the time point information added to the sense signal.

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.