High-resolution pwm wheel speed sensor protocol

Abstract

A sensor for detecting relative movements between an encoder, having a substantially periodic scale and/or pattern, and at least one sensor element, wherein the sensor comprises at least one sensor element and a signal processing device, the signal processing device being designed to take the sensor element output signal of the sensor element as a basis for providing a movement signal, wherein the signal processing device is designed such that it has two or more switching thresholds for the at least one sensor element output signal, movement information that is taken into consideration for generating the movement signal being generated substantially whenever a switching threshold is exceeded and/or is fallen short of by the sensor element output signal, wherein the signal processing device is designed such that the appearance of movement information results in a particular movement impulse of defined duration being generated in the movement signal, wherein the signal processing device is designed to substantially rate and/or compute a relative velocity between the encoder and the sensor element by itself and the defined duration of the movement impulse is dependent on the circumstance of at least one first limit velocity for the relative velocity between the encoder and the sensor element being exceeded and/or being fallen short of. It is therefore possible for the signal processing device to identify for example whether the sensor is currently operating in a high-resolution mode. The pulse length may additionally also vary on the basis of further status information such as direction of rotation or gap size.