Abstract: In a rotation detecting apparatus, each of first and second sensor elements measures rotation of a detection target. A circuit module includes first and second rotational angle calculators each calculating, based on a corresponding one of a first measurement value of the first sensor element and a second measurement value of the second sensor element, a rotational angle of the detection target. The circuit module includes first and second rotation number calculators each calculating, based on the corresponding one of the first measurement value and the second measurement value, a rotation number of the detection target. The circuit module includes first and second communicators each outputting, to a controller, a rotational angle signal based on the rotational angle and a rotation number signal based on the rotation number. A package packages the first and second sensor elements, and is mounted to a circuit board separately from the controller.

Abstract: A motor control apparatus includes: multiple motor drive circuits that drive at least one motor; and multiple microcomputers that are operated by a microcomputer power source and include a drive signal generator that generates a motor drive signal. The microcomputers include at least one microcomputer including a stop determiner that determines that operation of an own microcomputer is about to be stopped and transmits information as a stop determination signal. A microcomputer having received the stop determination signal from at least one different microcomputer actually stops operation of an own microcomputer.

Abstract: A motor control apparatus include: multiple motor drive circuits that drives at least one motor; multiple microcomputers that include a drive signal generator, and a drive timing generator; and multiple clock generation circuits. The microcomputers include a synchronization signal transmitter microcomputer as at least one microcomputer that transmits a synchronization signal synchronized with the drive timing of an own microcomputer and synchronizing the drive timing of the microcomputers. The microcomputers include a synchronization signal receiver microcomputer as at least one microcomputer that receives the synchronization signal transmitted from the synchronization signal transmitter microcomputer.

Abstract: A synchronization signal generating portion of a transmitter microcomputer generates a synchronization signal that is synchronized with a drive timing of the own microcomputer and also causes to synchronize the drive timing of microcomputers, and transmits to a receiver microcomputer. A timing corrector of the receiver microcomputer is capable of correcting the drive timing of the own microcomputer so as to synchronize with the received synchronization signal, and includes a timing determiner which determines whether the received synchronization signal is normal or abnormal. The receiver microcomputer permits the timing correction if the synchronization signal is determined to be normal in the timing determination, and prohibits timing correction and drives the motor asynchronously with the transmitter microcomputer if the synchronization signal is determined to be abnormal.

Abstract: A communication system includes a sensor apparatus, which includes sensing elements and a transmission circuit, and a microcomputer, which includes a reception circuit, a difference calculator, and a differential calculator. The transmission circuit shifts a transmission time point of one of sensor signals including sensor value detected by one of the sensing elements by a predetermined period with respect to a transmission time point of another one of sensor signals including sensor value detected by another one of the sensing elements. The predetermined period is set shorter than a transmission cycle of the transmission circuit. The difference calculator calculates a difference value so that an offset error among the sensing elements is compensated or a fluctuation caused by a variation in slopes of output characteristics of the sensing elements is reduced.

Abstract: A control system includes a plurality of control devices each including an initial check unit that performs an initial check before drive control of a rotary electric machine, a transmission/reception unit that transmits/receives an end signal indicating that the initial check is ended, and a drive control unit that performs the drive control of the rotary electric machine after the initial check. The drive control unit starts the drive control of the rotary electric machine when the initial check of the corresponding control device is ended and the end signal is acquired from another control device, and starts the drive control of the rotary electric machine after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of the initial check of the corresponding control device when the initial check of the corresponding control device is ended and the end signal is not acquired from the another control device.

Abstract: A sensor device includes: multiple sensor units, each of which includes multiple sensor elements and a signal processing unit that generates and transmits an output signal including multiple detection signals corresponding to detection values of the sensor elements; and multiple control units, each of which includes a communication unit that receives the output signal, an abnormality monitoring unit that monitors abnormality of the respective sensor unit, and a physical quantity computation unit that computes a physical quantity based on at least one of the detection signals which is normal. One control unit mutually transmits and receives the detection signals as subject sensor signals received from the respective sensor unit and the detection signals as other sensor signals received from another one of the control units with another system control unit.

Abstract: In a current sensor abnormality diagnosis device, an abnormality judgment section determines that the phase current sensors are operating normally when a sum of three phase currents is not more than a threshold value, and a bus current sensor is operating normally based on a comparison result between three phase currents and a bus current. The abnormality judgment section detects which the phase current sensor has failed based on the three phase currents and the bus current when the sum of the three phase currents is more than the threshold value. Because of using the comparison results of the three phase currents with the bus current in addition to the sum of the three phase currents, it is possible for the abnormality judgment section to detect the occurrence of abnormality of each of these current sensors even if the detected current has an undefined value.

Abstract: A sensor device includes two sensor parts and an ECU. An output division of one of the two sensor parts stops output of an output signal when a detected internal abnormality is a first abnormality. Further, when the detected internal abnormality is a second abnormality that is different from the first abnormality, the output division controls an abnormality signal to take a value indicative of the second abnormality. An abnormality determiner determines either of a signal obtainment abnormality or the first abnormality of the sensor part when the output signal is not obtained from the one of the sensor parts, or determines the second abnormality of the one of the sensor parts when the obtained output signal includes the abnormality signal having a value indicative of the second abnormality. Such determination, thus, enables the abnormality determiner to classify an abnormality caused in the sensor parts.

Abstract: A sensor device includes a main sensor, a sub sensor, and an Electronic Control Unit (ECU). The ECU has a torque calculator that sets, as a steering torque, a main steering torque that is calculated based on a main sensor signal when a main output signal is normal. During a transition period between an abnormality detection and an abnormality establishment regarding the main output signal, the torque calculator calculates the steering torque based on (i) a sub steering torque calculated based on a sub sensor signal and (ii) a prior-to-abnormality-detection main steering torque. In such manner, even when abnormality is detected in a part of the sensor signals, a fluctuation of the steering torque due to, or accompanying, the switching of the steering torque calculation to a normal signal only calculation is prevented.

Abstract: In a rotation detecting apparatus, while a switch is in an on state so that electrical power is supplied from a power source to a controller via the switch, the controller receives, as a first output signal, an output signal output from an output unit of a first rotation sensor, and receives, as a second output signal, an output signal output from an output unit of the second rotation sensor. The first output signal includes at least the first rotational information and the second rotational information based on the first rotation sensor, and the second output signal includes at least the first rotational information and the second rotational information based on the second rotation sensor. The controller determines whether there is a malfunction in each of the first and second rotation sensors as a function of the first output signal and the second output signal.

Abstract: In a current sensor abnormality diagnosis device, an abnormality judgment section determines that the phase current sensors are operating normally when a sum of three phase currents is not more than a threshold value, and a bus current sensor is operating normally based on a comparison result between three phase currents and a bus current. The abnormality judgment section detects which the phase current sensor has failed based on the three phase currents and the bus current when the sum of the three phase currents is more than the threshold value. Because of using the comparison results of the three phase currents with the bus current in addition to the sum of the three phase currents, it is possible for the abnormality judgment section to detect the occurrence of abnormality of each of these current sensors even if the detected current has an undefined value.

Abstract: A communication system includes at least one sensor apparatus including at least one sensing element and a transmission circuit, and a microcomputer including a reception circuit and a differential calculator. The sensing element detects a sensor value indicating a physical quantity of a detection target, and the transmission circuit transmits, as a digital signal, a sensor signal including information indicative of the sensor value at a predetermined transmission cycle. The reception circuit receives the sensor signal through a signal line and updates last time sensor value with present time sensor value. The differential calculator calculates, at a predetermined calculation cycle, a time differential value by performing a time differential calculation to the updated using time information provided separate from the sensor value.

Abstract: In a rotation detecting apparatus, a sensor includes a sensor element outputting a measurement value representing rotation of a detection target, and a circuit module. The circuit module includes a rotational angle calculator calculating, based on the measurement value, rotational angle information indicative of a rotational angle of the detection target. The rotational angle calculator generates a rotational angle signal including the rotational angle information. The circuit module includes a rotation number calculator calculating, based on the measurement value, rotation number information representing the number of rotations of the detection target. The rotation number calculator generates a rotation number signal including the rotation number information. An output unit outputs, as an output signal, a series of the rotational angle signal and the rotation number signal.

Abstract: A communication device includes: a plurality of sensors, each of which includes at least one sensor element that detects information relating to a single detection target and an output circuit that generates an output signal based on a detection signal of the sensor element and transmits the output signal; and a controller that acquires the output signal. One of the sensors transmits the output signal to the controller at an output timing that is shifted, by a predetermined period shorter than a length of one period of the output signal, from another output timing when another one of the sensors transmits the output signal.

Abstract: A controller controls a rotating electric machine that has a plurality of winding wire groups, by using an instruction calculator, a temperature calculator, a distributor, and an electric current control section. The instruction calculator calculates an assist instruction value regarding a drive of the machine. The machine has systems each having a combination of a winding wire group and an inverter. The distributor distributes the assist instruction value among the winding wire groups according to system temperatures, for the calculation of torque instruction values for the respective winding wire groups. In such manner, an overheat of the machine and the inverters is prevented.

Abstract: A controller in an electric power steering system controls motor that assists a steering operation of a steering wheel by a driver by generating an assist torque. The controller includes an instruction calculator calculating a base assist instruction value and at least one of correction instruction values, a distributor distributing the instruction values a plurality of winding wire groups, and calculating a torque instruction value for each of the plurality of winding wire groups. Thus, the base assist instruction value and the correction instruction values are appropriately distributed to each of the plurality of winding wire groups, for an appropriate distribution of the instruction values among the plurality of winding wire groups for generating the assist torque.

Abstract: If abnormalities of the sensor part are detected, the power-source control section temporarily stops the electric power supply from the sensor power source to the sensor part so that the sensor power source voltage Vs which is the voltage between the sensor power source and the sensor part falls. In addition, after electric power supply to the sensor part resumes, and the sensor part is recovered from the abnormalities, then, the power source control section continues the electric power supply from the sensor power source to the sensor part. When the sensor part is not recovered from the abnormalities, the power source control section stops the electric power supply from the sensor power source to the sensor part.

Abstract: A sensor device includes a main sensor, a sub sensor, and an Electronic Control Unit (ECU). The ECU has a torque calculator that sets, as a steering torque, a main steering torque that is calculated based on a main sensor signal when a main output signal is normal. During a transition period between an abnormality detection and an abnormality establishment regarding the main output signal, the torque calculator calculates the steering torque based on (i) a sub steering torque calculated based on a sub sensor signal and (ii) a prior-to-abnormality-detection main steering torque. In such manner, even when abnormality is detected in a part of the sensor signals, a fluctuation of the steering torque due to, or accompanying, the switching of the steering torque calculation to a normal signal only calculation is prevented.

Abstract: A sensor device includes sensors and an Electronic Control Unit (ECU). The sensors include sensor elements, a signal comparator, and a signal transmitter. The signal comparator compares a first main detection value from one of the sensor elements, and a first sub detection value from the other of the sensor elements. When the first main detection value matches the first sub detection value, the signal transmitter generates and transmits an output signal that includes a first main signal corresponding to the first main detection value without including a first sub signal corresponding to the first sub detection value. In such manner, the responsiveness of the sensor device may be improved, without deteriorating a reliability of the output signals from the sensor sections.