Denso Corporation

Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho

Hiromi Ariyoshi

Tiaki Mizuno

Masaaki Tanaka

Yasuyuki Okuda

Mitsuyasu Matsuura

Yasuaki Makino

Yasushi Kohno

Toshiki Isogai

Tameharu Ohta

Toshitaka Yamada

Hisanaga Matsuoka

Naohito Mizuno

Norikazu Ohta

Keiko Akiyama

Shinichi Hirose

Kazuyoshi Tamaki

Iwao Yokomori

Yasuki Shimoyama

Yoshie Ohira

Hisami Mitsueda

Ayako Okamoto

Chiaki Mizuno

Norikazu c/o KK Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho Ohta

Yoshie c/o KK Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho Ohira

A thermal type air flow meter, which detects a flow rate of air flowing in an air passage, includes a sensor portion having a heating element in an air passage, a temperature control unit. The temperature control unit includes a first arm serially connecting a first resistive element and a heater temperature detection resistor which detects a temperature of the heating element, a second arm serially connecting a second resistive element and an air temperature detection resistor which detects a temperature of air flowing in the air passage, and a voltage supply unit which supplies first and second voltages respectively to the first and second arms. The voltage supply unit includes a voltage adjusting portion which can adjust at least one of the first and second voltages such that the detection temperature difference between the heater temperature detection resistor and the air temperature detection resistor becomes constant.

Thermal type air flow meter

An obstacle detection device mountable on a surface of a movable body includes a transmitting portion for transmitting a transmitting wave, a receiving portion for receiving a reflected wave from an obstacle, a distance calculating portion, a direction calculating portion, a distance storing portion, a direction storing portion, a distance change calculating portion, a direction change calculating portion, and a determining portion. The determining portion determines a shape of the obstacle and a relative position of the obstacle to the movable body based on a direction of the obstacle calculated by the direction calculating portion, the amount of distance change calculated by the distance change calculating portion, and the amount of direction change calculated by the direction change calculating portion.

Obstacle detection device

A transmission and reception device is located at a predetermined height on a movable object and directed toward an outside. The transmission and reception device includes a transmission unit for repeatedly transmitting sensing waves at a predetermined interval and a reception unit for receiving reflective waves of the sensing waves from a detected object. A peak value detecting unit detects peak values of the received reflective waves and stores the detected peak values. A difference arithmetic unit calculates a difference in the detected peak values with movement of the movable object closer to the detected object. An object determination unit determines the detected object to be a near-road-surface obstacle, which is close to a road surface, when the difference is a negative value. The object determination unit determines the detected object to be an other obstacle than the near-road-surface obstacle when the difference is a positive value.

Obstacle detection apparatus and method for detecting obstacle

A ultrasonic device detecting a direction to an object includes: a transmitting element of a ultrasonic wave; first and second receiving elements; a diffraction wave phase detector; an initial phase memory for an initial phase of a diffraction wave; a sound speed detector; a phase correction amount calculator calculating a phase shift caused by a sound speed change and calculating a phase correction amount based on the phase of the diffraction wave, the initial phase and the phase shift; a phase correction element correcting a phase of the reflection wave based on the phase correction amount; and a direction detector for detecting the direction to the object based on a difference between corrected phases of the reflection wave received by the first and second receiving elements, a distance between the first and second receiving elements, and a wavelength of the transmission ultrasonic wave corresponding to a sound speed.

Ultrasonic device for detecting direction to object

1to npairs of transistors (n=an odd number) are connected in parallel, and each pair of transistors has an upper transistor and a lower transistor connected in series. A point between the upper transistor and the lower transistor of a preceding pair of transistors is connected to a gate of the lower transistor of a subsequent transistor, and the point between the upper transistor and the lower transistor of npair of transistors is connected to the gate of the first lower transistor. A capacitor is inserted between the lower transistor and a direct power source. A current regulating circuit connected to gates of the upper transistors, wherein the current regulating circuit supplies a gate voltage to each gate of the each upper transistor. The magnitude of the gate voltage is adjusted such that a magnitude of current that flows between the source and drain of the upper transistor due to the gate voltage is proportional to a voltage between the source and gate of the corresponding lower transistor when the lower transistor is turned on.

Clock signal output circuit

Sensor equipment includes: a sensor device having a sensing portion; and an electric connection portion coated with an electric insulation member. The electric connection portion electrically connects an external circuit and the sensor device. The electric insulation member is a thin film disposed on the electric connection portion. In the sensor equipment, the insulation member is made of the deposition film, which is not deteriorated with time. Therefore, the insulation member does not flow out from the connection portion. Accordingly, detection sensitivity of the sensor equipment is prevented from reducing.

Sensor equipment having sensing portion and method for manufacturing the same

Two heat generating resistors are formed on a substrate in the upstream side with respect to an air flow direction and two other heat generating resistors are formed in the downstream side. A thermometer resistor for detecting a temperature in the intake manifold is formed on the substrate. A bridge circuit is formed of the heat generating resistors. A temperature of the four heat generating resistors is controlled to be at a predetermined temperature by balancing a bridge circuit constituted of the thermometer resistor or the like with a differential amplifier and a transistor. When air flows, electric potentials of the intermediate terminals in the bridge circuit change. A flow quantity and a flow direction of the air are calculated by detecting the electric potential difference.

Fluid flow sensor

A sensor device is composed of a sensor element having a sensing portion, and a signal-outputting portion mounted on a substrate. The sensor element is also mounted on the substrate via a resilient material. The sensor element is electrically connected to the signal-outputting portion through a bonding wire. The work consisting of the sensor element, signal-outputting portion and the substrate is held in a molding die, and the work is molded with an insulating material, while keeping the sensing portion exposed outside of the insulating material. A depressed portion of the molding die, in which the sensor element is accommodated in the molding process, has substantially no clearance relative to the sensor element, and the sensor element is led to the depressed portion by resiliency of the material bonding the sensor element to the substrate. Therefore, no burs are formed on the sides of the sensor element in the molding process.

Sensor device having molded signal-outputting portion

In a thermal-type flow rate sensor, a mold material is formed to integrally cover a predetermined range including a circuit chip, connecting parts of connecting wires with a flow rate detecting chip and the circuit chip, and connecting parts of connecting wires with the circuit chip and a lead portion, to expose a part of the flow rate detecting chip to a measured fluid. The flow rate detecting chip is located in a groove portion of a support member to have a clearance with the groove portion and to form a cavity part inside a thin wall portion of the detecting chip. The cavity part communicates with an outside through a communicating portion that includes the clearance, and the clearance is blocked by a filler at least at a portion positioned in the predetermined range. Therefore, the filler prevents the mold material from entering the clearance in the mold forming.

Thermal-type flow rate sensor and manufacturing method thereof

A pressure sensor includes a sensor chip having a pressure receiving surface formed on one surface of the sensor chip, a first case having one end portion at which the sensor chip is provided, a second case attached to the one end portion of the first case to cover the sensor chip. The second case is provided with a pressure introducing passage for introducing the pressure to the sensor chip, and a wiring board is provided at the one end portion of the first case to have a surface facing toward the pressure introducing passage. In the pressure sensor, the sensor chip is electrically connected with the surface of the wiring board through bumps by a flip-chip bonding such that the pressure receiving surface faces the surface of the wiring board, and an insulating member is provided to seal a connection portion of the bumps.

Pressure sensor and manufacturing method of the same

In a heat-radiation type flow sensor, a heater resistor is connected to a fixed resistor in series with a transistor. An electrical potential between the heater resistor and the transistor is supplied to an inverting input terminal of an operational amplifier. A reference voltage is supplied to a non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier. An output potential of the operational amplifier is supplied to a base of the transistor. Since the electrical potential between the heater resistor and the transistor is supplied to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier, the airflow sensor includes only a negative feedback circuit. Thus, the airflow sensor exhibits strong endurance against electromagnetic interferences.

Heat-radiation type flow sensor

An acceleration sensor device includes a molded package mounted on a circuit board and first and second leads protruding from the molded package and joined to the circuit board. The molded package retains an island portion of a lead frame in a state where a chip mounting surface of the island portion is perpendicular to the circuit board. An acceleration sensor is mounted on the chip mounting surface of the island portion. After attaching the acceleration sensor chip to the island portion, the island portion is bent up in the lead frame. Then, the island portion, the acceleration sensor chip, and the first and second leads are integrally molded to make the molded package. Accordingly, a detection axis of the acceleration sensor device can be arbitrary set, and the molded package is stably mounted on the circuit board.

Sensor device and method of producing the same using lead frame

The output of a filter circuit utilizing a capacitance amplifier circuit is sufficiently stabilized in its temperature characteristics to improve the operational reliability of the circuit. There is provided a DC cutoff filter circuit utilizing a CR circuit constituted by a composite capacitance formed by a capacitance amplifier circuit utilizing an operational amplifier and a series resistor which is grounded to a reference voltage. The reference voltage is a divided voltage output by a voltage follower constituted by an operational amplifier and serves as a virtual ground. Resistors having different temperature coefficients are used. In response to a positive or negative change in the temperature coefficient of the composite capacitance, the reference potential selects the temperature coefficient of the resistors so that the temperature characteristics including those of the amplifier will provide a temperature coefficient which is the reverse of that of the capacitance amplifier circuit, thereby compensating for fluctuation associated with the temperature coefficient of the composite capacitance.

Temperature drift stabilized filter circuit

An acceleration detecting device, which can be constructed simply and allow compactness, is disclosed. A cover is installed on a housing-body portion to form a hollow portion, and a sensor chip which is subjected to acceleration and displaced is bonded and fixed within this hollow portion. This housing-body portion has a flat end face, and electrical wiring leads and electrically connected to the sensor chip is formed on the end face via the interior of the housing-body portion. This end face is electrically and mechanically connected to a circuit board by a bonding agent, and the housing-body portion is fixed to the circuit board substantially perpendicularly.

Physical-quantity detecting device

For controlling a pulse-operated electromagnetic valve, an energization voltage is applied to the actuating coil of the valve in response to a leading edge of the pulse to initiate an energization current. When the current reaches a predetermined peak value the voltage is decoupled from the coil to allow a circulating current to flow through a first path to decrease it at a higher rate. The circulating current is switched to a second path when it reaches a medium current value to decrease it at a lower rate. When the decreasing circulating current reaches a lower holding current value which is necessary to hold the valve operated, the voltage is coupled again to the coil to reinitiate the energization current, and when it reaches a higher holding current value lower than the medium current value the voltage is decoupled to reinitiate the circulating current. The higher and lower holding current values are successively detected to energize the coil with a current which is an average value of the higher and lower current values.

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Kariya, Japan

Hiromi Ariyoshi