Abstract: An ultrasonic sensor in the invention includes an ultrasonic transmitter, an ultrasonic receiver, and a detector. The ultrasonic transmitter transmits pulse-shaped ultrasonic waves to a thin plate to excite the thin plate. The ultrasonic receiver receives direct waves and reflected waves among the ultrasonic waves propagating in the thin plate excited by the pulse-shaped ultrasonic waves, the direct waves propagating only in the thin plate, and the reflected waves radiating outward, then reflected by the object, and returning to the thin plate. The detector detects the object present near the thin plate on the basis of a difference between a time at which the ultrasonic receiver receives the direct waves and a time at which the ultrasonic receiver receives the reflected waves.

Abstract: An ultrasonic sensor in the invention includes an ultrasonic transmitter, an ultrasonic receiver, and a detector. The ultrasonic transmitter transmits pulse-shaped ultrasonic waves to a thin plate to excite the thin plate. The ultrasonic receiver receives direct waves and reflected waves among the ultrasonic waves propagating in the thin plate excited by the pulse-shaped ultrasonic waves, the direct waves propagating only in the thin plate, and the reflected waves radiating outward, then reflected by the object, and returning to the thin plate. The detector detects the object present near the thin plate on the basis of a difference between a time at which the ultrasonic receiver receives the direct waves and a time at which the ultrasonic receiver receives the reflected waves.

Abstract: A driving apparatus of a sensorless brushless motor includes an inverter circuit supplying a power supply voltage, of which duty ratios is variably controlled by a pulse-width modulation method, a PWM generator circuit generating a pulse-width modulation signal, a position detection circuit operating at a predetermined phase of the pulse-width modulation signal and detecting a rotational position of the rotor, and an inverter control circuit transmitting an energization control signal determined based on the pulse-width modulation signal to the inverter circuit. The PWM generator circuit provides a stepwise increase and decrease of a pulse-width modulation frequency in a normal PWM frequency, a low-speed PWM frequency, and a high-speed PWM frequency in response to an increase and decrease of one of following parameters; the commanded duty ratio, the commanded number of rotations of the motor, a detected duty ratio, and a detected number of rotations of the motor.

Abstract: A driving apparatus of a sensorless brushless motor includes an inverter circuit supplying a power supply voltage to three phase terminals of three phase armature windings of the sensorless brushless motor provided with a stator and with a rotor including a pair of magnetic poles, a PWM generator circuit generating a pulse-width modulation signal, a position detection circuit operating at a particular phase of the pulse-width modulation signal, detecting an induced voltage induced at the terminal that is in a non-energization time zone and detecting a rotational position of the rotor, an inverter control circuit determining an energization time zone and transmitting an energization control signal to the inverter circuit, and a PWM delay circuit generating a pulse-width modulation signal for position detection by delaying the pulse-width modulation signal, wherein the position detection circuit operates at a particular phase of the pulse-width modulation signal for position detection.

Abstract: Driving assistance is provided to a vehicle driver in a manner that is easy to understand and at a low cost. At a driving assistance device (100), an image processing unit (103) sets a cut-out region within image data photographed by a camera (121) and extracts cut-out image data. A control unit (107) generates information indicating risk to the rear of the vehicle based on the position and speed of other vehicle measured by a distance measuring unit. The image processing unit (103) then outputs information indicating the cut-out image data and the risk to a monitor (123). The image processing unit (103) then moves the cut-out region to a direction in which a vehicle route has changed when a receiving unit (105) receives notification to the effect that the route of the vehicle has changed.

Abstract: A clock signal SCLK is provided to an input/output interface and communication data SIN consisting of a predetermined frame including a predetermined bits with a parity bit P is transmitted to an electronic circuit at a synchronized timing with the clock signal SCLK. A parity check is performed at a synchronized timing with an output of a communication completion condition synchronized with the clock signal SCLK and the communication contents are checked by the parity bit P.