Abstract: A rotational angle detecting device has a detecting element that detects a rotating magnetic field of a magnet that is variable according to a rotation of a motor. A rotational angle calculator calculates a rotational angle and a rotation number. A power supply failure determining circuit has a volatile memory that stores power supply failure information indicating that power supply failure occurs in which electric power is not supplied to the rotational angle detecting device from a battery. A communication portion outputs the rotational information and output information corresponding to the power supply failure information to the controller. The communication portion receives a notifying signal after the controller receives the output information indicating that the power supply failure occurs. The volatile memory stores the power supply failure information indicating that the power supply failure occurs after the power supply failure occurs until the communication portion receives the notifying signal.

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 magnetic sensor of a sensor unit includes magnetic sensing elements, an encapsulating portion, a primary terminal group and a secondary terminal group. Another magnetic sensor includes magnetic sensing elements, an encapsulating portion, a primary terminal group and a secondary terminal group. The magnetic sensors are mounted on a common surface of a circuit board. The adjacent two magnetic sensors, which are oriented in a common direction, are arranged such that the secondary terminal group of one of the adjacent two magnetic sensors is opposed to the primary terminal group of the other one of the adjacent two magnetic sensors. A primary output terminal and a secondary output terminal are placed asymmetrically to each other with respect to a center line of the encapsulating portion.

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: A communication system includes a sensor apparatus transmitting a sensor signal including detection information of a detection target as a digital signal and a microcomputer receiving the sensor signal through a signal line and performing a control operation at a predetermined operation cycle based on the sensor signal that is received. The microcomputer transmits, to the sensor apparatus, a synchronization signal which is synchronized with the predetermined operation cycle of the microcomputer. The sensor apparatus transmits the sensor signal at a predetermined constant cycle except when the synchronization signal transmitted by the microcomputer is received. The sensor apparatus changes a transmission timing of the sensor signal corresponding to the synchronization signal when the synchronization signal transmitted by the microcomputer is received.

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: 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 communication apparatus includes an output portion and a controller. The output portion outputs an output signal. The output signal includes a synchronization signal, a data signal, and an end signal in this order. The controller includes a measuring portion that measures a length of a received pulse, a signal determiner that determines whether the received pulse corresponds to the synchronization signal based on the length of the received pulse, and a signal acquisition portion. The signal acquisition portion skips the received pulse in a case where the signal determiner determines that the received signal does not include the synchronization signal. The signal acquisition portion considers the received signal as the synchronization signal and reads a pulse following the received pulse to the end signal in a case where the signal determiner determines that the received signal includes the synchronization signal.

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 rotational angle detecting device continues a portion of operation by electric power from a battery when an electric switch is off. The rotational angle detecting device includes a sensor, a first calculator, a second calculator and a communication portion. The sensor detects a detection value that is variable according to a rotation of a detection object. The first calculator starts calculating first rotational information associated with the rotation of the detection object based on the detection value when the electric switch is turned on. The first calculator stops calculating the first rotational information when the electric switch is turned off. The second calculator calculates second rotational information associated with the rotation of the detection object regardless of an on/off state of the electric switch, based on the detection value. The communication portion outputs the first rotational information and the second rotational information to a controller.

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.

Abstract: A sensor device includes a plurality of sensor elements and an output circuit in one sensor part, and a correction value calculator in an ECU, which obtains output signals from the sensor part and calculates an offset correction value based on a plurality of signal values that correspond to a detection value when a calculability condition is satisfied. The ECU also includes a control calculator that performs a calculation based on the corrected signal values that have been corrected by the offset correction value. Therefore, the offset correction value is calculated in view of an aging and an accuracy variation of the components used in the sensor device. In such manner, the detection value is appropriately corrected for the calculation.

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 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 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: A communication system includes a sensor apparatus transmitting a sensor signal including detection information of a detection target as a digital signal and a microcomputer receiving the sensor signal through a signal line and performing a control operation at a predetermined operation cycle based on the sensor signal that is received. The microcomputer transmits, to the sensor apparatus, a synchronization signal which is synchronized with the predetermined operation cycle of the microcomputer. The sensor apparatus transmits the sensor signal at a predetermined constant cycle except when the synchronization signal transmitted by the microcomputer is received. The sensor apparatus changes a transmission timing of the sensor signal corresponding to the synchronization signal when the synchronization signal transmitted by the microcomputer is received.