Transmission of information associated with a possible sensor fault of a magnetic sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9939410-B2
Application number	US-201514842064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 1, 2015
Priority date	Sep 1, 2015
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A magnetic sensor may sense a magnetic field during a rotation of a wheel. The sensed magnetic field may represent a profile of the wheel during the rotation. The magnetic sensor may determine, based on the sensed magnetic field, information associated with a possible fault of at least one of the magnetic sensor or the wheel. The magnetic sensor may transmit a first set of output pulses corresponding to the profile of the wheel during the rotation. The first set of output pulses may be transmitted during the rotation of the wheel. The magnetic sensor may transmit a second set of output pulses that corresponds to the information associated with the possible fault.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A magnetic sensor, comprising:
one or more components configured to:
sense a magnetic field during a rotation of a wheel,
the sensed magnetic field representing a profile of the wheel during the rotation;

detect, based on the sensed magnetic field, a possible fault of at least one of the magnetic sensor or the wheel;
transmit, to a control unit, a first set of output pulses corresponding to the profile of the wheel during the rotation,
the first set of output pulses being transmitted during the rotation of the wheel; and

transmit, to the control unit, a second set of output pulses that indicates the magnetic sensor detected the possible fault.

2. The magnetic sensor of claim 1 , where the first set of output pulses includes a first set of voltage pulses and the second set of output pulses includes a second set of voltage pulses,
the second set of voltage pulses being provided during a time period corresponding to a particular section of the wheel, and
the second set of voltage pulses and the first set of voltage pulses being provided via a same voltage interface of the magnetic sensor.

3. The magnetic sensor of claim 1 , where the first set of output pulses includes a first set of voltage pulses and the second set of output pulses includes a second set of voltage pulses,
the second set of voltage pulses being provided during a set of time periods corresponding to at least one reference zone gap associated with the wheel,
the at least one reference zone gap having a width wider than a tooth gap width between teeth of the wheel, and

the second set of voltage pulses being provided between voltage pulses of the first set of voltage pulses,
the second set of voltage pulses and the first set of voltage pulses being provided via a same voltage interface of the magnetic sensor.

4. The magnetic sensor of claim 1 , where the first set of output pulses includes a set of voltage pulses and the second set of output pulses includes a set of current pulses.

5. The magnetic sensor of claim 1 , where the first set of output pulses includes a first set of voltage pulses and the second set of output pulses includes a second set of voltage pulses,
the second set of voltage pulses being provided via a first output terminal of the magnetic sensor,
the first set of voltage pulses being provided via a second output terminal of the magnetic sensor,
the first output terminal being different from the second output terminal.

6. The magnetic sensor of claim 1 , where, in operation of the magnetic sensor, the wheel is associated with a crankshaft or a camshaft of a motor vehicle.

7. The magnetic sensor of claim 1 , where the first set of output pulses is output during a time period that is complementary to a time period during which the second set of output pulses is output,
the first set of output pulses and the second set of output pulses representing a full rotation of the wheel.

8. A magnetic sensor, comprising:
one or more sensor components configured to:
sense, during a rotation of a wheel, a magnetic field that corresponds to profile information associated with the wheel;
detect, based on the sensed magnetic field, an operational state of at least one of the magnetic sensor or the wheel,
the operational state being a possible fault of at least one of the magnetic sensor or the wheel;

output, to a control unit and during the rotation of the wheel, a first set of output pulses that represents the profile information associated with the wheel; and
output, to the control unit a second set of output pulses that indicates that the magnetic sensor detected the operational state.

9. The magnetic sensor of claim 8 , where the first set of output pulses includes a first set of voltage pulses and the second set of output pulses includes a second set of voltage pulses,
the second set of voltage pulses being provided during a time period corresponding to at least one reference zone gap of the wheel,
the at least one reference zone gap having a width wider than a tooth gap width between teeth of the wheel, and

the second set of voltage pulses being provided between voltage pulses of the first set of voltage pulses,
the second set of voltage pulses and the first set of voltage pulses being provided via a same voltage interface of the magnetic sensor.

10. The magnetic sensor of claim 8 , where the first set of output pulses includes a first set of current pulses and the second set of output pulses includes a second set of current pulses,
the first set of current pulses and the second set of current pulses being provided via an output terminal of the magnetic sensor.

11. The magnetic sensor of claim 8 , where the operational state of the magnetic sensor or the wheel is associated with information including at least one bit of safe-state information or diagnosis information associated with the magnetic sensor or the wheel.

12. The magnetic sensor of claim 8 , where the one or more sensor components include at least one of:
a Hall-based sensing element;
a giant magnetoresistance (GMR)-based sensing element;
an anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR)-based sensing element;
a tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR)-based sensing element; or
a variable reluctance (VR)-based sensing element.

13. The magnetic sensor of claim 8 , where the first set of output pulses and the second set of output pulses represent a full rotation of the wheel.

14. The magnetic sensor of claim 8 , where the first set of output pulses is output at a time when the second set of output pulses is not being output.

15. A method, comprising:
sensing, by a magnetic sensor, a magnetic field during a rotation of a wheel,
the sensed magnetic field corresponding to a profile of the wheel during the rotation;

detecting, by the magnetic sensor and based on the sensed magnetic field, a possible fault of the magnetic sensor or the wheel;
providing, by the magnetic sensor and during the rotation of the wheel, a first set of output pulses associated with the profile of the wheel to a control unit; and
providing, to the control unit and by the magnetic sensor, a second set of output pulses that indicates that the magnetic sensor detected the possible fault.

16. The method of claim 15 , where the first set of output pulses includes a first set of voltage pulses and the second set of output pulses includes a second set of voltage pulses,
the second set of voltage pulses being provided during a set of time periods corresponding to at least one reference zone gap associated with the wheel,
the at least one reference zone gap having a width wider than a tooth gap width between teeth of the wheel, and

the second set of voltage pulses and the first set of voltage pulses being provided via a same transmission interface of the magnetic sensor.

17. The method of claim 15 , where the wheel includes a plurality of teeth, and
where each output pulse, of the first set of output pulses, includes a rising edge or a falling edge corresponding to a tooth of the plurality of teeth of the wheel.

18. The method of claim 15 , where the wheel includes a plurality of teeth, and
where each output pulse, of the first set of output pulses, includes a rising edge corresponding to a first edge of a tooth, of the plurality of teeth of the wheel, and a falling edge corresponding to a second edge of the tooth.

19. The method of claim 15 , where the second set of output pulses includes at least one signature pulse,
the at least one signature pulse having a pulse l

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Grambichler Klaus
• WESTPFAHL Michael Burk

Classifications

• G01N27/82 Primary

  for investigating the presence of flaws · CPC title

• G01M15/06

  by monitoring positions of pistons or cranks · CPC title

• G01D5/20

  by varying inductance, e.g. by a movable armature · CPC title

• G01R35/00

  Testing or calibrating of apparatus covered by the other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• G01R33/02 Primary

  Measuring direction or magnitude of magnetic fields or magnetic flux (G01R33/20 takes precedence) · CPC title