Sensing system and method for improving control of a sensor detection value

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018348892-A1
Application number	US-201715827919-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 30, 2017
Priority date	Jun 1, 2017
Publication date	Dec 6, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sensing system and method are provided. The sensing system includes a sensor unit that is configured to output a voltage having a magnitude that corresponds to a detected physical quantity and an amplification unit that is configured to amplify a magnitude in the output of the sensor unit to a constant gain. An offset removal unit is configured to remove a direct current (DC) offset from an output amplified by the amplification unit to generate a first detection signal. An inversion circuit unit is configured to invert the first detection signal to generate a second detection signal. A microcomputer is configured to then calculate the physical quantity detected by the sensor unit based on the first detection signal and the second detection signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A sensing system, comprising:
a sensor unit configured to output a voltage having a magnitude that corresponds to a detected physical quantity; an amplification unit configured to amplify the magnitude in the output of the sensor unit to a constant gain; an offset removal unit configured to remove a direct current (DC) offset from an output amplified by the amplification unit to generate a first detection signal; an inversion circuit unit configured to invert the first detection signal to generate a second detection signal; and a microcomputer configured to calculate the physical quantity detected by the sensor unit based on the first detection signal and the second detection signal.

2 . The sensing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a rectification unit configured to rectify the first detection signal and the second detection signal and adjust change the rectified first detection signal and second detection signal to a voltage range recognized by the microcomputer.

3 . The sensing system of claim 1 , wherein an amplification gain of the amplification unit is determined based on a voltage range of the output of the sensor unit and a voltage range recognized by the microcomputer.

4 . The sensing system of claim 3 , wherein the amplification gain of the amplification unit is calculated as a value which increases a voltage width that corresponds to about half of the voltage range of the output of the sensor unit as much as a voltage width of the voltage range recognized by the microcomputer.

5 . A sensing method, comprising:
detecting, by a sensor unit, a physical amount and outputting to a controller a voltage having a magnitude corresponding to the physical amount; amplifying, by the controller, the magnitude in the output of the sensor unit to a constant gain; removing, by the controller, a direct current (DC) offset from the amplified output that is amplified to generate a first detection signal; inverting, by the controller, the first detection signal to generate a second detection signal; and deriving, by the controller, the physical quantity detected by the sensor unit based on the first detection signal and the second detection signal.

6 . The sensing method of claim 5 , further comprising:
rectifying, by the controller, the first detection signal and the second detection signal to adjust the rectified first detection signal and second detection signal to a voltage range recognized by the controller.

7 . The sensing method of claim 5 , wherein in during amplifying, by the controller, an amplification gain is determined based on a voltage range of the output of the sensor unit and a voltage range recognized by a microcomputer.

8 . The sensing method of claim 7 , wherein the amplification gain is calculated as a value which increases a voltage width that corresponds to about half of the voltage range of the output of the sensor unit as much as a voltage width of the voltage range recognized by the microcomputer

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Kong Hun
• Kim Seong Han
• Kang Gun Soo
• Kwak Sang Hoon

Classifications

• G01R1/30

  Structural combination of electric measuring instruments with basic electronic circuits, e.g. with amplifier · CPC title

• G01R19/2506

  Arrangements for conditioning or analysing measured signals, e.g. for indicating peak values (G01R19/003 takes precedence); Details concerning sampling, digitizing or waveform capturing (displaying waveforms G01R13/00; analog sampling G01R19/0053) · CPC title

• G01R19/2516

  Modular arrangements for computer based systems; using personal computers (PC's), e.g. "virtual instruments" · CPC title

• G01R19/04 Primary

  Measuring peak values {or amplitude or envelope} of AC or of pulses · CPC title

• G01R19/22 Primary

  using conversion of AC into DC · CPC title