Denso Corporation

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Hiroyuki Shintani

Yoshiyuki Kono

Takashi Kawashima

Takamitsu Kubota

Hisataka Okado

Masashi Hori

Kiyoshi Kimura

Shinji Ikeda

Koichiro Matsumoto

Tatsuya Kitanaka

Kimio Uchida

Masaaki Shinojima

Tomohiro Takahashi

Tomoyuki Kashiwagi

Yukinobu Kajita

Kazunori Uchida

A position detecting device has an output circuit, which controls voltages of signal lines connecting a power supply and a ground by a power side transistor and a ground side transistor. An output signal line connects a connection point of the signal lines and an output terminal. A first comparator circuit outputs a signal '1' when a current flowing in the line between the power supply and the connection point is larger than a normal current flowing into the ground from the power supply in a normal state. A second comparator circuit outputs a signal '1' when a current flowing in the line between the connection point and the ground is larger than the normal current. When the signal &#x201c;1&#x201d; is output from the first comparator circuit or the second comparator circuit, a cutoff circuit turns off a switch disposed in the output signal line.

Position detecting device

A linear displacement detection apparatus is configured to convert a linear displacement of a shaft into a rotary displacement of a sensor rotor of a rotary displacement sensor so as to detect the linear displacement. A sensor lever is fixed to the sensor rotor and rotatable about an axis of the sensor rotor. A sensor rod is located closer to the shaft than the sensor lever and configured to transmit the linear displacement of the shaft to the sensor lever. A bearing member is located closer to the shaft than the sensor rod and configured to release rocking of the shaft.

Linear displacement detection apparatus

A position sensor includes a longitudinally extending permanent magnet member at least two longitudinally extending arc-shaped projecting elements respectively projecting from the opposite ends toward the inside space to confront each other at a distance and a pair of compatible main magnetic sensors disposed in the inside space along the longitudinal axis at an interval so as to generate a pair of output signals when the permanent magnet member shifts along the longitudinal axis. The opposite ends of the permanent magnet member are configured to surround a common inside space and polarized to have opposite magnetic poles so as to provide in the inside space a magnetic field whose magnetic flux density becomes a maximum at a longitudinal center of the inside space and gradually becomes smaller as a position of the inside space shifts from the longitudinal center along a longitudinal axis of the permanent magnet members. The arc-shaped projecting elements are arranged so that the magnetic flux density and each of the output signals can be expressed by a cosine of a shift value from the longitudinal center, and the interval is &#xbc; of the cycle of the cosine.

Permanent magnet type position sensor

A second member and a first member are applied with bias force to mechanically engage with each other at one of detent positions defining relative positions therebetween. An electric motor rotating a rotor therein when being supplied with electricity. Rotation of the rotor is transmitted to an output shaft manipulating the first member. A main controller controls the electric motor to switch the one of the plurality of detent positions. A rotor angle detecting unit detects rotor angle of the rotor. An output angle detecting unit detects output angle of the output shaft. The main controller includes a backlash calculating unit that calculates a backlash amount between the rotor and the first member in accordance with at least one of occurrence of a first region, in which change in the output angle is small with respect to change in the rotor angle, and a range of the rotor angle in the first region. The main controller incorporates the backlash amount into the control of the electric motor.

Switching controller and method for controlling switching position

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Hiroyuki Shintani