Sensor circuit, vehicle and method therefor
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A sensor circuit, comprising:
- at least two sets of;
a signal processing circuit connectable to a sensor to receive a periodic sensor signal therefrom, for processing the sensor signal;
a leakage current detector connected to the sensor to detect a leakage current of the sensors and connected to the signal processing circuit to output in response thereto a compensation signal for compensating for the leakage current;
the sensor circuit further comprising;
a test circuit connected to the sensors of the set for injecting a test current into a selected one of the sensors; and
a controller connected to the leakage current detectors for determining from the compensation signal of at least one of the leakage current detectors, whether a short condition exists between at least two of the sensors in response to the compensation signal being modified in response to the injected test current.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sensor circuit, including at least a first sensor arranged to selectively receive a first test current; a first digital-to-analog converter, DAC, arranged to receive a first signal from the first sensor and output a first compensation signal in response thereto; a second DAC arranged to receive a second signal from a second sensor and output a second compensation signal in response thereto; and a controller operably coupled to the first and second DACs and operable to determine from at least one of: the first compensation signal and second compensation signal whether a short condition exists between the first sensor and the second sensor.
9 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A sensor circuit, comprising:
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at least two sets of; a signal processing circuit connectable to a sensor to receive a periodic sensor signal therefrom, for processing the sensor signal; a leakage current detector connected to the sensor to detect a leakage current of the sensors and connected to the signal processing circuit to output in response thereto a compensation signal for compensating for the leakage current; the sensor circuit further comprising; a test circuit connected to the sensors of the set for injecting a test current into a selected one of the sensors; and a controller connected to the leakage current detectors for determining from the compensation signal of at least one of the leakage current detectors, whether a short condition exists between at least two of the sensors in response to the compensation signal being modified in response to the injected test current. - View Dependent Claims (8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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2. A sensor circuit, comprising:
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at least two sets of; a signal processing circuit connectable to a sensor to receive a periodic sensor signal therefrom, for processing the sensor signal; a leakage current detector connected to the sensor to detect a leakage current of the sensors and connected to the signal processing circuit to output in response thereto a compensation signal for compensating for the leakage current; the sensor circuit further comprising; a test circuit connected to the sensors of the set for injecting a test current into a selected one of the sensors; and a controller connected to the leakage current detectors for determining from the compensation signal of at least one of the leakage current detectors, whether a short condition exists between at least two of the sensors, and wherein the controller is arranged to determine whether the short condition exists between the at least two of the sensors in response to detecting an unbalanced current between the at least two of the sensors or a change in the test current.
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3. A sensor circuit, comprising:
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at least two sets of; a signal processing circuit connectable to a sensor to receive a periodic sensor signal therefrom, for processing the sensor signal, wherein the signal processing circuit comprises; a comparator arranged to compare the level of the sensor signal with a threshold; and a level controller that controls a level of the sensor signal according to a detected leakage current, such that a highest level of the sensor signal stays above a threshold and the lowest level stays below the threshold in response to the compensation signal; a leakage current detector connected to the sensor to detect a leakage current of the sensors and connected to the signal processing circuit to output in response thereto a compensation signal for compensating for the leakage current; the sensor circuit further comprising; a test circuit connected to the sensors of the set for injecting a test current into a selected one of the sensors; and a controller connected to the leakage current detectors for determining from the compensation signal of at least one of the leakage current detectors, whether a short condition exists between at least two of the sensors. - View Dependent Claims (4)
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5. A sensor circuit, comprising:
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at least two sets of; a signal processing circuit connectable to a sensor to receive a periodic sensor signal therefrom, for processing the sensor signal; a leakage current detector connected to the sensor to detect a leakage current of the sensors and connected to the signal processing circuit to output in response thereto a compensation signal for compensating for the leakage current; the sensor circuit further comprising; a test circuit connected to the sensors of the set for injecting a test current into a selected one of the sensors; and a controller connected to the leakage current detectors for determining from the compensation signal of at least one of the leakage current detectors, whether a short condition exists between at least two of the sensors, wherein the controller is arranged to determine that the short condition exists when a change in the test current applied to a first sensor in a first set out of said at least two sets is detected by the leakage current detector of a second set out of said at least two sets. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 9)
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15. A method for detecting a short circuit on a sensor system comprising at least two sensors, the method comprising:
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selectively injecting a test current into a selected sensor of the at least two sensors; receiving at least one second sensor signal from at least one other sensor than the selected sensor and outputting a second compensation signal to compensate for current leakage in the other sensor in response thereto, wherein receiving at least one second sensor signal from at least one other sensor than the selected sensor comprises receiving multiple second sensor signals from multiple other sensors than the selected sensory; and determining from multiple second compensation signals whether a short condition exists between the selected sensor and at least one of the multiple other sensors.
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16. A method for detecting a short circuit on a sensor system comprising at least two sensors, the method comprising:
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selectively injecting a test current into a selected sensor of the at least two sensors; receiving at least one second sensor signal from at least one other sensor than the selected sensor and outputting a second compensation signal to compensate for current leakage in the other sensor in response thereto; determining from the second compensation signal whether a short condition exists between the selected sensor and the at least one other sensor; disabling the test current from the selected sensor; injecting a test current into a further selected sensor of the at least two sensors; and determining from the second compensation signal whether a short condition exists between the further selected sensor and the at least one other sensor.
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Specification