IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
US-0566564
(2012-08-03)
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등록번호 |
US-8878518
(2014-11-04)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Niwa, Masahisa
- Okada, Kunitaka
- Hajek, Rudolf
- Kutej, Jiri
- Warneck, Timothy J.
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출원인 / 주소 |
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대리인 / 주소 |
McDermott Will & Emery LLP
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
0 인용 특허 :
3 |
초록
▼
A mode detector in a sensor interface is configured to detect a mode specified by a mode signal when an input signal received from a side of a first terminal is the mode signal. A communication portion in the interface transmits an electric signal, obtained from a sensor circuit, to a side of a seco
A mode detector in a sensor interface is configured to detect a mode specified by a mode signal when an input signal received from a side of a first terminal is the mode signal. A communication portion in the interface transmits an electric signal, obtained from a sensor circuit, to a side of a second terminal when a mode detected with the detector is a sensor output mode. The communication portion receives an input signal from the side of the first terminal while transmitting an output signal to the side of the second terminal, when a mode detected with the detector is a communication mode.
대표청구항
▼
1. A sensor device, comprising: a sensor circuit;a terminal portion comprising a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal, the first, second and third terminals being power, output and ground terminals, respectively, and configured to be connected with an external device; anda sensor i
1. A sensor device, comprising: a sensor circuit;a terminal portion comprising a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal, the first, second and third terminals being power, output and ground terminals, respectively, and configured to be connected with an external device; anda sensor interface that is located between an output of the sensor circuit and the terminal portion,the sensor interface comprising a communication portion, a memory circuit, and a mode detector configured to detect a mode specified by a mode signal when an input signal received from a side of the first terminal is the mode signal,the sensor interface being configured to transmit an electric signal, corresponding to a target object's physical quantity obtained from the sensor circuit, to a side of the second terminal that is the output terminal when the mode detected with the mode detector is a sensor output mode, and to receive an input signal from the side of the first terminal while transmitting an output signal to the side of the second terminal, when the mode detected with the mode detector is a communication mode, andthe communication portion being configured to store data obtained from a serial input signal in the memory circuit while transmitting a serial output signal, which is said output signal, to the external device through the output terminal, if receiving a serial input signal when the mode detected with the mode detector is the communication mode, said serial input signal being said input signal transmitted from the external device and received from a side of the power terminal. 2. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the sensor interface is configured to transmit a current signal as said serial output signal to the external device through the output terminal by supplying an electric current corresponding to the serial output signal through the output terminal in accordance with a clock signal. 3. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the mode detector is configured to detect a communication mode if, in the sensor output mode, a mode designated by a mode signal received from the side of the first terminal changes to a transition mode and then changes to the communication mode, andthe mode signal of the transition mode changed from the sensor output mode differs from the mode signal changed from the communication mode. 4. The sensor device of claim 3, wherein a mode signal of a transition mode changed from at least one of the sensor output mode and the communication mode is a voltage signal higher than a mode signal's level of a mode before the change to the transition mode. 5. The sensor device of claim 4, wherein a prescribed digital signal is applied to the power terminal to be added to at least one of the mode signal of the transition mode changed from the sensor output mode and the mode signal changed from the communication mode. 6. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the memory circuit comprises a nonvolatile memory. 7. The sensor device of claim 1, comprising a monolithic IC equipped with the sensor circuit and the sensor interface. 8. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the sensor interface further comprises: a signal processing circuit configured to calibrate the electric signal from the sensor circuit based on the data stored in the memory circuit; andan output circuit which is arranged between the output terminal and both of the communication portion and the signal processing circuit, and is configured to output the electric signal calibrated with the signal processing circuit to the side of the output terminal and to output the serial output signal, from the communication portion, to the side of the output terminal. 9. The sensor device of claim 8, wherein the communication portion comprises a communication circuit configured to transmit said output signal to the side of the second terminal, andthe output circuit is configured;to output the electric signal, from the signal processing circuit, to the side of the output terminal when the mode detected with the mode detector is the sensor output mode; andto output the output signal, from the communication circuit, to the side of the output terminal when the mode detected with the mode detector is the communication mode. 10. The sensor device of claim 1, comprising, as said sensor circuit, first and second sensor circuits configured to detect the same physical quantity, wherein the sensor device comprises, as said sensor interface, first and second sensor interfaces,as said mode detector, said communication portion and said memory circuit, said first sensor interface comprises a first mode detector, a first communication portion and a first memory circuit, respectively while said second sensor interface comprises a second mode detector, a second communication portion and a second memory circuit, respectively,said first sensor interface is arranged between an output of the first sensor circuit and the terminal portion,said second sensor interface is arranged between an output of the second sensor circuit and the terminal portion,the first and second sensor interfaces comprise first and second transfer circuits, respectively, andone of a first or second transfer circuit is configured to receive a serial transfer signal, and the other is configured to transmit the serial transfer signal to said one of a first or second transfer circuit. 11. The sensor device of claim 10, wherein the second transfer circuit is configured to transmit the serial transfer signal to the first transfer circuit, andwherein the first transfer circuit is configured to receive the serial transfer signal. 12. The sensor device of claim 11, wherein the second sensor interface is electrically connected with the output of the second sensor circuit while electrically connected with only the power and ground terminals of the terminal portion. 13. The sensor device of claim 12, wherein the second sensor interface is configured: to transmit a first serial transfer signal to the first sensor interface through the second transfer circuit based on a second electric signal corresponding to a target object's physical quantity obtained from the second sensor circuit, when the mode detected with the second mode detector is the sensor output mode; andto store second data obtained from a second serial input signal in the second memory circuit while transmitting a second serial transfer signal to the first sensor interface through the second transfer circuit, if receiving the second serial input signal through the power terminal when the mode detected with the second mode detector is the communication mode, said second serial input signal being an input signal addressed to the second sensor interface from the external device, said second serial transfer signal being for a second serial output signal as said output signal to the external device, andwherein the first sensor interface is configured: when the mode detected with the first mode detector is the communication mode, to store first data obtained from a first serial input signal in the first memory circuit if receiving a first serial input signal through the power terminal, said first serial input signal being an input signal addressed to the first sensor interface, transmitted from the external device and received from the side of the power terminal; andto transmit, as said output signal, a first serial output signal to the external device through the output terminal, and, if receiving said second serial transfer signal through the first transfer circuit, to transmit the second serial output signal to the external device through the output terminal based on the second serial transfer signal. 14. The sensor device of claim 12, wherein the second sensor interface is configured to transmit a first serial transfer signal to the first sensor interface through the second transfer circuit based on a second electric signal corresponding to a target object's physical quantity obtained from the second sensor circuit, when the mode detected with the second mode detector is the sensor output mode, andthe first sensor interface is configured: when the mode detected with the first mode detector is the sensor output mode, to transmit a first electric signal to the side of the output terminal, said first electric signal corresponding to a target object's physical quantity obtained from the first sensor circuit; andto transmit a second electric signal to the side of the output terminal based on the first serial transfer signal if receiving the first serial transfer signal through the first transfer circuit. 15. The sensor device of claim 14, wherein the first sensor interface is configured to transmit any of the first and second electric signals to the side of the output terminal in accordance with a configuration parameter stored in the first memory circuit. 16. The sensor device of claim 13, wherein the first sensor interface further comprises a failure detection circuit configured, if a difference between a physical quantity of the first electric signal and a physical quantity of the second electric signal exceeds a predetermined threshold, to transmit an error signal, representing that the difference exceeds the threshold, to the external device through the output terminal. 17. A sensor interface located between an output of a sensor circuit and a terminal portion, wherein the terminal portion comprises a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal, the first, second and third terminals being power, output and ground terminals, respectively, and configured to be connected with an external device, andthe sensor interface comprising a communication portion, a memory circuit, and a mode detector configured to detect a mode specified by a mode signal when an input signal received from a side of the first terminal is the mode signal,the sensor interface being configured to transmit an electric signal, corresponding to a target object's physical quantity obtained from the sensor circuit, to a side of the second terminal that is the output terminal when the mode detected with the mode detector is a sensor output mode, and to receive an input signal from the side of the first terminal while transmitting an output signal to the side of the second terminal, when the mode detected with the mode detector is a communication mode,the communication portion being configured to store data obtained from a serial input signal in the memory circuit while transmitting a serial output signal, which is said output signal, to the external device through the output terminal, if receiving a serial input signal when the mode detected with the mode detector is the communication mode, said serial input signal being said input signal transmitted from the external device and received from a side of the power terminal.
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