Rotation detection device and rotation detector equipped bearing assembly

1. A rotation detecting device comprising:

a plurality of magnetic encoders of a ring shape arranged coaxially and having different numbers of magnetic poles;

a plurality of magnetic sensors each operable to detect the magnetic field of the corresponding magnetic encoder and having a function of detecting positional information within a single magnetic pole of the corresponding magnetic encoder;

a phase difference detector to determine the phase difference of magnetic field signals detected respectively by the magnetic sensors; and

an angle calculator to calculate an absolute rotation angle of the magnetic encoders based on the detected phase difference,

wherein each of the magnetic sensors includes a plurality of sensor elements arranged in offset relation relative to each other within a pitch between the neighboring magnetic poles so as to provide two phase signal outputs forming sine and cosine curves, respectively, and operable to detect the position within the single magnetic pole by frequency multiplication.

2. A rotation detecting device comprising:

a plurality of magnetic encoders of a ring shape arranged coaxially and having different numbers of magnetic poles;

a plurality of magnetic sensors each operable to detect the magnetic field of the corresponding magnetic encoder and having a function of detecting positional information within a single magnetic pole of the corresponding magnetic encoder;

a phase difference detector to determine the phase difference of magnetic field signals detected respectively by the magnetic sensors; and

an angle calculator to calculate an absolute rotation angle of the magnetic encoders based on the detected phase difference,

wherein each of the magnetic sensors comprises a line sensor, in which sensor elements are lined up in a direction conforming to the direction in which the magnetic poles of the corresponding magnetic encoder are arranged and is operable to detect the position within the single magnetic pole by generating two phase signal outputs forming sine and cosine curves by unit of calculation.

3. The rotation detection device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an angle information output circuit to output the absolute angle calculated by the angle calculator,

wherein the magnetic sensors, the phase difference detector, the angle calculator and the angle information output circuit are integrated together into a sensor module.

4. The rotation detection device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the sensor module is integrated on a semiconductor chip.

5. The rotation detection device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the angle calculator includes a corrector to correct the calculated absolute angle with an output from one of the magnetic sensors, which is adjacent either one of the magnetic encoders.

6. A rotation detecting device comprising:

a plurality of magnetic encoders of a ring shape arranged coaxially and having different numbers of magnetic poles;

a plurality of magnetic sensors each operable to detect the magnetic field of the corresponding magnetic encoder and having a function of detecting positional information within a single magnetic pole of the corresponding magnetic encoder;

a phase difference detector to determine the phase difference of magnetic field signals detected respectively by the magnetic sensors;

an angle calculator to calculate an absolute rotation angle of the magnetic encoders based on the detected phase difference; and

an angle information output circuit to output the absolute angle, calculated by the angle calculator, in the form of an ABZ phase signal comprised of two, A phase and B phase pulse signals which are displaced 90° in phase relative to each other and a Z phase pulse signal indicative of a position of origin.

7. The rotation detection device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the angle calculator includes a corrector to correct the calculated absolute angle with an output from one of the magnetic sensors, which is adjacent either one of the magnetic encoders, and the angle information output circuit is operable to output an ABZ phase signal with reference to the output of one of the magnetic sensors, which has been selected for use in correction of the absolute angle.

8. The rotation detection device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the magnetic sensor selected for use in correction of the absolute angle corresponds to one of the magnetic encoders having the different numbers of magnetic poles, which has the number of the magnetic poles greater than the others of the magnetic encoders.

9. A wheel support bearing assembly equipped with a rotation detection device, in which the rotation detection device as described in claim 1 is mounted on a bearing thereof.

10. The rotation detection device as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising an angle information output circuit to output the absolute angle calculated by the angle calculator,

wherein the magnetic sensors, the phase difference detector, the angle calculator and the angle information output circuit are integrated together into a sensor module.

11. The rotation detection device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the sensor module is integrated on a semiconductor chip.

12. The rotation detection device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the angle calculator includes a corrector to correct the calculated absolute angle with an output from one of the magnetic sensors, which is adjacent either one of the magnetic encoders.