# US 2017/0284836 A1 · Shaft-integrated angle sensing device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0284836 A1 - Document ID: US20170284836A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/507,479 - Filed: 2015-09-02 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2014-09-02 - Assignees: Infineon Technologies AG - Applicants: Infineon Technologies AG - Inventors: Leo Aichriedler; Udo AUsserlechner; Peter Slama - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170284836A1 ## CPC - G01D 11/24: Housings {; Casings for instruments} - G01D 5/12: using electric or magnetic means (G01D5/06 takes precedence) - G01D 5/145: {influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields (see G01R33/06)} - G01P 3/487: delivered by rotating magnets - G01D: MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G01P: MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR SHOCK; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT (measuring or recording blood flow A61B5/02, A61B8/06; monitoring speed or deceleration of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; vehicle lighting systems adapted to indicate speed B60Q1/54; determining position or course in navigation, measuring ground distance in geodesy or surveying G01C; combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement G01C23/00; measuring velocity of sound G01H; measuring velocity of light G01J7/00; measuring direction or velocity of solid objects by reception or emission of radiowaves or other waves and based on propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effect, propagation time, direction of propagation, G01S; measuring speed of nuclear radiation G01T; measuring acceleration of gravity G01V; {measuring or recording the speed of trains B61L23/00; speed indicators incorporated in motor vehicles B60K35/00; measuring frequency or phase G01R; traffic control G08G}) ## Abstract A sensor arrangement includes a sensor element and a magnet module. The sensor element is configured to measure a magnetic field and is positioned within a shaft. The shaft is configured to shield the magnet module and the sensor element. The magnet module is configured to generate the magnetic field. The sensor element is at least partially positioned within the shaft. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A sensor arrangement comprising: a rotatable shaft extending along a rotation axis and comprising a bore extending within a first shaft end portion along the rotation axis; a magnet module coupled to at least one face of the bore and configured to generate a magnetic field within the bore; and a sensing element configured to sense a rotating magnetic field caused by the magnet module upon rotation of the rotatable shaft around the rotation axis, and wherein the sensing element has a sensitive spot, the sensitive spot being arranged within the bore and exposed to the rotating magnetic field. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the bore has an inner diameter Di, and the sensitive spot is placed a distance da inside the bore from an opening of the bore at one end of the shaft. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The arrangement of claim 2, wherein the distance da inside the bore is substantially equal or greater than 0.4 times the inner diameter Di. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the shaft comprises a thin-walled end portion of wall thickness d, the thin-walled end portion substantially extending in axial direction over at least a part of a length of the bore. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The arrangement of claim 4, wherein the thin-walled end portion has a relative permeability μr; and wherein a product of the relative permeability μr and the wall thickness over the inner diameter Di is equal or greater 10. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The arrangement of claim 2, further comprising a shielding member; wherein the shielding member is fixedly mounted with respect to the magnet module or rotatably mounted with respect to the magnet module; the shielding member being substantially coaxially arranged with the rotation axis. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The arrangement of claim 4, further comprising a shielding member, wherein the shielding member is mounted rotatably against the magnet module or is mounted fixedly with respect to the magnet module; the shielding member being substantially coaxially arranged with the rotation axis. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The arrangement of claim 6, wherein the shielding member is implemented as a sleeve coaxially mounted to the rotation axis. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The arrangement of claim 1 further comprising a bearing configured to rotatably support the shaft. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The arrangement of claim 8, further comprising a bearing configured to rotatably support the shaft outside the thin-walled end portion of the shaft, wherein a wall thickness of the shaft is higher outside the thin-walled end portion of the shaft that within the thin-walled end portion of the shaft. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The arrangement of claim 8, wherein the sleeve has a thickness d2 in radial direction relative to the rotation axis; wherein the radial thickness d2 of the sleeve is substantially equal or greater than the wall thickness d of the thin-walled end portion of the shaft. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The arrangement of claim 11, wherein the sleeve has a length da2 in axial direction; and wherein the sleeve's length da2 is equal or larger than a distance da of the sensitive spot being placed inside the bore from an opening of the bore at the one end of the shaft. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The arrangement of claim 11, wherein the sleeve comprises a gap of radial width gr over at least a portion of the length da2 of the sleeve in axial direction. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the shaft comprises a non-magnetic material, such as aluminum, brass, or carbon fiber. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensing element is implemented comprising two or more sensors selected from the group consisting of: AMR sensing element, GMR sensing element, TMR sensing elements, CMR sensing elements Hall plates, vertical Hall devices, MAGFET sensing element, and magneto impedance sensing element. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensing element is smaller than 1/10-th of a size of the magnet module. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the magnet module includes at least one magnetic member of rotational symmetry, or N-fold symmetry, with N greater 1. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The arrangement of claim 14, wherein the sensing element is implemented as discrete transducers or integrated sensing elements. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensing element comprises a first sensor and a second sensor arranged in a sensing element plane, the first sensor being responsive to a first magnetic field component in a direction perpendicular to the sensing element plane, while the second sensor is responsive to a second magnetic field component parallel to the sensing element plane; the sensing element further being configured to provide at least one output signal indicative of a projection of the rotating magnetic field onto a projection plane parallel to the first magnetic field component and the second magnetic field component; wherein the at least one output signal fully determines an angle between the projection of the rotating magnetic field and a reference direction in the projection plane. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the magnet module is arranged symmetrical to the sensitive spot with regards to at least one selected from the group consisting of: the rotation axis, a radial direction with regards to the rotation axis, and an azimuthal direction with regards to the rotation axis.