US Patent 10184807 True-power-on and diagnostic-capable incremental interface for angular sensors

The current disclosure relates to an angular sensor. The angular sensor includes a sensing module, a digital processor and an incremental interface. The sensing module is configured to generate a sensing signal containing measurements of rotation activities of a rotating physical entity. The digital processor is configured to process and store the sensing signal. The incremental interface is coupled to the digital processor and includes an incremental pulse generator and a status data encoder. The incremental pulse generator is configured to convert and transmit the sensing signal as incremental square pulses through a unidirectional signal line, which are processed to generate rotary angle and direction of the physical entity. The status data encoder is configured to convert and transmit the sensing signal as a reference pulse and a status signal through a bidirectional signal line, which can be to request an absolute angle position or other sensor data.