US 10,330,499 B2Granted

Micro inductive sensor

AssigneeKSR IP Holdings, LLC

InventorsRyan W. Elliott, Lingmin Shao

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Abstract

An inductive sensor includes a sensor package and a coupler package. The sensor package includes a signal processor, an integrated capacitor, a ferrite layer, a transmitter coil, a two part receiving coil, and a plurality of discrete components. The coupler package includes an integrated capacitor, a ferrite layer, and a coupler coil. The transmitter coil in the sensor package is energized by an external power source which in turn energizes the coupler coil in the coupler package. The sensor then measures the rotational position of the coupler package relative to the sensor package by detecting and measuring, with the two part receiving coil, the signal returned by the coupler coil. The signal processor calculates the position of the coupler package relative to the sensor package by comparing the coupling factors between the coupler package and the sensor package.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An inductive sensor assembly comprising:

a signal processor;
a sensor package having a top side of the sensor package facing a coupler package and a bottom side of the sensor package opposite the top side;
a ferrite layer disposed between the top side and the bottom side of the sensor package, the ferrite layer having a top surface and an opposite bottom surface, the signal processor is disposed to the bottom surface of the ferrite layer;
a transmitter coil and a two part receiving coil, the transmitting coil having an inner diameter, the two part receiving coil having a first receiving coil and a second receiving coil, the signal processor is disposed within the inner diameter of the transmitting coil;
and
the coupler package having a coupler coil, the coupler coil having a plurality of windings;
wherein the first receiving coil has a plurality of first receiving loops wound in a first direction and the second receiving coil has a plurality of second receiving loops wound in a second direction opposite the first direction;
the plurality of first receiving loops are arranged about a central axis of the transmitter coil, each of the plurality of receiving loops having a diameter less than the inner diameter of the transmitting coil.

5 more elements

An inductive sensor assembly comprising:

a signal processor;
a sensor package having a top side of the sensor package facing a coupler package and a bottom side of the sensor package opposite the top side, the sensor package having a transmitter coil having an inner diameter, and
a two part receiving coil on a top side of the sensor package and a first ferrite disc on an opposite bottom side of the sensor package, the first ferrite disc having a top surface and an opposite bottom surface, the signal processor is disposed within the inner diameter of the transmitting coil and on the bottom surface of the first ferrite disc;
and
the coupler package having a coupler coil on a bottom side of the coupler package, the coupler coil having a plurality of windings, the bottom side of the coupler package facing the top side of the sensor package;
wherein a first receiving coil of the two part receiving coil has a plurality of first receiving loops wound in a first direction and a second receiving coil of the two part receiving coil has a plurality of second receiving loops wound in a second direction opposite the first direction;
the plurality of first receiving loops are arranged about a central axis of the transmitter coil, each of the plurality of receiving loops having a diameter less than the inner diameter of the transmitting coil.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.