Gear sensing based on differential/asymmetric inductive sensing
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorGeorge P. Reitsma
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An inductive gear sensing system suitable for sensing gear (gear tooth) movement, such as some combination of speed, direction and position, based on differential sensor response waveforms. Example embodiments of inductive gear sensing with differential sensor response for different gear configurations include generating differential pulsed/phased sensor response signals from dual differential sensors based on axial (proximity-type) sensing for offset differential sensors (FIG. 1B, 102, 102; FIG. 2B, 201, 202), and generating asymmetrical response signals from a single sensor based on lateral and axial sensing with either asymmetrical gear teeth (FIG. 3A, 30A; FIG. 3B, 30B) or an asymmetrical sensor (FIG. 4B, 401) or a combination of both.
Claims15
An inductive sensing system suitable to sensing movement of a conductive gear, comprising:
- a conductive gear with gear teeth;
- and
- first and second inductive sensors disposed adjacent the gear, such that gear movement causes the gear teeth to move past the inductive sensors;
- each sensor configured to define a sensing area corresponding in size to the gear teeth, such that gear tooth movement past the sensor results in an axially-sensed sensor response pulse;
- the sensors are arranged such that a gear tooth moves through the sensing area of the first sensor with a time differential relative to moving through the sensing area of the second sensor;
- such that the sensors provide respective differential sensor response pulses with a phase difference corresponding to the direction of movement of the gear teeth relative to the sensors.
An inductive sensing system suitable to sensing movement of a conductive gear, comprising:
- a conductive gear with gear teeth that are asymmetrical;
- and
- a sensor disposed adjacent the gear, and configured to define a sensing area corresponding in size to the asymmetrical gear teeth, such that gear tooth movement past the sensor results in an asymmetrical sensor response due to a change the area of the conductive gear tooth that is within the sensing area;
- such that the sensor provide an asymmetrical sensor response corresponding to the direction of movement of the asymmetrical gear teeth relative to the sensor.
An inductive sensing system suitable to sensing movement of a conductive gear, comprising:
- a conductive gear with gear teeth;
- and
- an asymmetrical sensor configured with an asymmetric profile in which sensitivity changes from a lower sensitivity at a lower sensitivity end to a higher sensitivity at a higher sensitivity end,
- the asymmetrical sensor disposed adjacent the gear with an incline orientation relative to the gear teeth, such that a gear tooth moves past the lower sensitivity end with a time differential relative to moving past the higher sensitivity end;
- such the asymmetrical sensor provides an asymmetrical sensor response corresponding to the direction of movement of the gear teeth relative to the asymmetrical sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.