Transducer types

genalex · 02-11-2007, 12:39 AM

You guys with the manuals:

Can anyone satisfy the idle curiosity of an idle, retired engineer?

With so much "drive by wire" design in the Prius, I'm curious about the types of transducers used to sense various parameters:

. Steering wheel position and rate of change
. Brake pedal ditto
. Accelerator ditto
. Audio volume knob
. Outside temp sensor and its location
. Fuel level
. Wheel speed

And does anyone know the type and source of the cpu/microcontroler used as master control?

jdenenberg · 02-11-2007, 10:55 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(genalex @ Feb 11 2007, 12:39 AM) [snapback]388324[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

You guys with the manuals:

Can anyone satisfy the idle curiosity of an idle, retired engineer?[/b]

I'm also an engineer , but can only give an accurate answer to some of your questions.

Quote:

With so much "drive by wire" design in the Prius, I'm curious about the types of transducers used to sense various parameters:

. Steering wheel position and rate of change
. Brake pedal ditto[/b]

The brake pedal sensor in the 2001-2003 Prius was a potentiometer (Had contact dirt/wearout problems)
The current Prius (2004-) uses a Hall Effect sensor.

Quote:

. Accelerator ditto
. Audio volume knob
. Outside temp sensor and its location
. Fuel level[/b]

It's a float in the gas tank that doesn't work reliably (mostly due to the "bladder" in the gas tank whose stiffness varies with temperature). Running out of gas is not a good thing.

Quote:

. Wheel speed[/b]

These are the classical toothed variable reluctance sensors that provide information to the ABS systems in modern cars.

Quote:

And does anyone know the type and source of the cpu/microcontroler used as master control?
[/b]

Probably (there are many CPUs in these cars), but not me.

JeffD

Bill Merchant · 02-11-2007, 11:56 PM

Denso makes the hybrid control ECU. Maybe check their site. There are lots of computers and specific LANs for them to talk on, plus gateways between LANs. I always refer to the computer, but it's really an orchestrated network of computers.

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02-11-2007, 12:39 AM	#1
genalex Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Jersey suburbs of Phila. Posts: 259 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: Package: #4 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	You guys with the manuals: Can anyone satisfy the idle curiosity of an idle, retired engineer? With so much "drive by wire" design in the Prius, I'm curious about the types of transducers used to sense various parameters: . Steering wheel position and rate of change . Brake pedal ditto . Accelerator ditto . Audio volume knob . Outside temp sensor and its location . Fuel level . Wheel speed And does anyone know the type and source of the cpu/microcontroler used as master control?

02-11-2007, 11:56 PM	#3
Bill Merchant absit invidia Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA \| Oregon \| Portland area \| 97004 \| Posts: 4,100 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #5 Thanks: 18 Thanked 10 Times in 8 Posts Friends: 60	Denso makes the hybrid control ECU. Maybe check their site. There are lots of computers and specific LANs for them to talk on, plus gateways between LANs. I always refer to the computer, but it's really an orchestrated network of computers.