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US 10,393,549 B2Granted
Determining a position of a movable element of a linear actuator which is intended for a motor vehicle
AssigneeAudi AG
InventorsAndreas Von Dahl, Carl Johannes Schlockermann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for determining a position of a movable element of a linear actuator of a motor vehicle includes supplying a current to a coil of the linear actuator so as to move and/or hold the movable element by a magnetic field of the coil generated by the supplied current; modulating the current supplied to the coil with an electrical alternating variable having a predetermined frequency; determining an impedance or an admittance of the coil at the predetermined frequency by measuring a further variable at the predetermined frequency; and determining the position of the movable element as a function of the determined impedance or admittance.
Claims20
A method for determining a position of a movable element of a linear actuator of a motor vehicle, comprising:
- supplying a current to a coil of the linear actuator so as to move and/or hold the movable element by a magnetic field of the coil generated by the supplied current;
- modulating the current supplied to the coil with an electrical alternating variable having a predetermined frequency;
- determining an impedance or an admittance of the coil at the predetermined frequency by measuring a further variable at the predetermined frequency;
- and
- determining the position of the movable element as a function of the determined impedance or admittance,
- wherein the predetermined frequency is predetermined in dependence on a concrete configuration of the linear actuator by determining a difference of the impedance of the coil for different positions of the movable element at different frequencies of the alternating variable and selecting a frequency with a greatest possible difference of the impedance in the different positions of the movable element as the predetermined frequency.
3 more elements
A linear actuator for a motor vehicle, said linear actuator comprising
- an electric coil;
- a movable element movable by a magnetic field of the electric coil;
- and
- a control unit configured to determine a position of the movable element as a function of a change of an impedance or an admittance of the coil, said control unit being configured
- to modulate a coil current supplied to the coil for moving and/or holding the movable element with an electrical alternating variable having a predetermined frequency;
- to determine the impedance or the admittance at the predetermined frequency by measuring a further variable at the predetermined frequency;
- and
- to determine the position of the movable element form the determined impedance or admittance,
- wherein the predetermined frequency is predetermined in dependence on a concrete configuration of the linear actuator by determining a difference of the impedance of the coil for different positions of the movable element at different frequencies of the alternating variable and selecting a frequency with a greatest possible difference of the impedance in the different positions of the movable element as the predetermined frequency.
6 more elements
A motor vehicle transmission, comprising:
- a linear actuator, said linear actuator comprising
- an electric coil;
- a movable element movable by a magnetic field of the electric coil;
- and
- a control unit configured to determine a position of the movable element as a function of a change of an impedance or an admittance of the coil, said control unit being configured
- to modulate a coil current supplied to the coil for moving and/or holding the movable element with an electrical alternating variable having a predetermined frequency;
- to determine the impedance or the admittance at the predetermined frequency by measuring a further variable at the predetermined frequency;
- and
- to determine the position of the movable element form the determined impedance or admittance,
- wherein the predetermined frequency is predetermined in dependence on a concrete configuration of the linear actuator by determining a difference of the impedance of the coil for different positions of the movable element at different frequencies of the alternating variable and selecting a frequency with a greatest possible difference of the impedance in the different positions of the movable element as the predetermined frequency.
7 more elements
A motor vehicle, comprising:
- a linear actuator, said linear actuator comprising
- an electric coil;
- a movable element movable by a magnetic field of the electric coil;
- and
- a control unit configured to determine a position of the movable element as a function of a change of an impedance or an admittance of the coil, said control unit being configured
- to modulate a coil current supplied to the coil for moving and/or holding the movable element with an electrical alternating variable having a predetermined frequency;
- to determine the impedance or the admittance at the predetermined frequency by measuring a further variable at the predetermined frequency;
- and
- to determine the position of the movable element form the determined impedance or admittance,
- wherein the predetermined frequency is predetermined in dependence on a concrete configuration of the linear actuator by determining a difference of the impedance of the coil for different positions of the movable element at different frequencies of the alternating variable and selecting a frequency with a greatest possible difference of the impedance in the different positions of the movable element as the predetermined frequency.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.