Position detecting system

An electronic position sensing system comprising:

• means for producing a first square wave cyclic signal;
• a resonant circuit including an inductor coil operative to produce lines of induction in response to excitation of said resonant circuit by said first cyclic signal, said resonant circuit operative to produce a second cyclic signal shiftable in phase relative to said first cyclic signal in response to changes in effective impedance of said resonant circuit;
• a metallic material defining a surface movable relative to said coil and operative in response to said relative movement in one direction to cut increasing numbers of said lines to effect a change in said impedance and shift the phase of said second cyclic signal relative to the phase of said first cyclic signal;
• wave shaping means operative to shape said second cyclic signal into a square wave signal;
• and
• detector means operative to produce a cyclic output signal having an amplitude independent of the difference in phase between said first and second square wave cyclic signals and having a duty cycle representative of the difference in phase between said first and second square wave cyclic signals.

An electronic system comprising:

• means for producing a first square wave cyclic signal;
• a resonant circuit excited by said first cyclic signal and including an inductor element connected in parallel with a capacitor element, said resonant circuit operative to produce a second cyclic signal shiftable in phase relative to said first cyclic signal in response to changes in effective impedance of said resonant circuit;
• coupling means movable relative to one of said elements and operative in response to such relative movement to change said effective impedance and shift the phase of said second cyclic signal relative to the phase of said first cyclic signal;
• wave shaping means operative to shape said second cyclic signal into a square wave signal;
• and
• detector means operative to produce a cyclic output signal having an amplitude independent of the difference in phase between said first and second square wave cyclic signals and have a duty cycle representative of the difference in phase between said first and second square wave cyclic signals.

An electronic system comprising:

• means for producing a first square wave cyclic signal;
• a resonant circuit excited by said first cyclic signal and including a capacitor connected in parallel with an inductor coil operative to produce lines of induction, said resonant circuit operative to produce a second cyclic signal shiftable in phase relative to said first cyclic signal in response to changes in effective impedance of said resonant circuit;
• a metallic material defining a surface movable substantially normal to said lines and operative in response to such movement in one direction to cut increasing numbers of said lines to effect a change in said impedance and shift the phase of said second cyclic signal relative to the phase of said first cyclic signal;
• wave shaping means operative to shape said second cyclic signal into a square wave signal;
• and
• detector means operative to produce a cyclic output signal having an amplitude independent of the difference in phase between said first and second cyclic signals and having a duty cycle representative of the difference in phase between said first and second square wave cyclic signals.

An electronic system comprising:

• means for producing a first square wave cyclic signal;
• a resonant circuit including reactive means, said resonant circuit excited by said first cyclic signal and operative to produce a second cyclic signal shiftable in phase relative to said first cyclic signal in response to changes in effective impedance of said resonant circuit;
• means for supporting said reactive means adjacent to a rotating object and stationary relative to said axis;
• means mounted for rotation with said object and operative in response to such rotation to pass in close proximity of said reactive element and momentarily change the effective impedance of said resonant circuit and momentarily shift the phase of said second cyclic signal relative to said first cyclic signal;
• wave shaping means operative to shape said second cyclic signal into a square wave signal;
• and
• detector means operative to produce a cyclic output signal having an amplitude independent of the difference in phase between said first and second cyclic square wave signals and having a duty cycle which momentarily changes in value in response to said momentary phase shifts.

An electronic system comprising:

• means for producing a first square wave cyclic signal;
• a resonant circuit excited by said first cyclic signal and including inductor means operative to produce an electromagnetic field, said resonant circuit operative to produce a second cyclic signal shiftable in phase relative to said first cyclic signal in response to changes in effective impedance of said resonant circuit;
• means for supporting said inductor means adjacent to an object rotating about an axis and stationary to said axis;
• metallic means mounted for rotation with said object and operative in response to such rotation to pass through said field and momentarily change the effective impedance of said resonant circuit and momentarily shift the phase of said second cyclic signal relative to said first cyclic signal;
• wave shaping means operative to shape said second cyclic signal into a square wave signal;
• and
• detector means operative to produce a cyclic output signal having an amplitude independent of the difference in phase between said first and second square wave cyclic signals and having a duty cycle which momentarily changes in value in response to said momentary phase shifts.

A system for detecting the position of an object, said system comprising:

• first means producing a first cyclic signal;
• second means having reactive means and an effective impedance, said second means producing a second cyclic signal at the same frequency as said first cyclic signal and operative to shift the phase of said second cyclic signal relative to the phase of said first cyclic signal in response to changes in the effective impedance of said second means;
• coupling means defining a surface which electrically couples with said reactive means, said surface movable from a first position having a minimum electric coupling to a second position having a maximum electric coupling to change said effective impedance and shift the phase of said second cyclic signal relative to the phase of said first cyclic signal, and said surface having a predetermined shape for controlling the amount of said electric coupling in response to both the shape of said surface and the position of said surface, whereby a predetermined linear or non-linear correlation between the movement of said surface and the phase shift may be obtained;
• and
• detector means operative to produce an output signal representative of the difference in phase between said first and second signals.

A system for detecting the position of an object, said system comprising:

• means for producing a first cyclic signal;
• a resonant circuit including reactive means, said resonant circuit excited by said first cyclic signal and operative to produce a second cyclic signal shiftable in phase relative to said first cyclic signal in response to changes in effective impedance of said resonant circuit;
• coupling means defining a surface which electrically couples with said reactive means, said surface movable from a first position having a minimum electric coupling to a second position having a maximum electric coupling to change said effective impedance and shift the phase of said second cyclic signal relative to the phase of said first cyclic signal, and said surface having a predetermined shape for controlling the amount of said electric coupling in response to both the shape of said surface and the position of said surface, whereby a predetermined linear or non-linear correlation between the movement of said surface and the phase shift may be obtained;
• and
• detector means operative to produce an output signal representative of the difference in phase between said first and second signals.

A system for detecting the position of an object, said system comprising:

• means producing a first cyclic signal;
• a resonant circuit excited by said first cyclic signal and including an inductor element connected in parallel with a capacitor element, said resonant circuit excited by said first cyclic signal and operative to produce a second cyclic signal shiftable in phase relative to said first cyclic signal in response to changes in effective impedance of said resonant circuit;
• coupling means defining a surface which inductively couples with said reactive means, said surface movable from a first position having a minimum coupling to a second position having a maximum coupling to change said effective impedance and shift the phase of said second cyclic signal relative to the phase of said first cyclic signal, and said surface having a predetermined shape for controlling the amount of said electric coupling in response to both the shape of said surface and the position of said surface, whereby a predetermined linear or non-linear correlation between the movement of said surface and the phase shift may be obtained;
• and
• detector means operative to produce an output signal representative of the difference in phase between said first and second signals.

A system for detecting the position of an object, said system comprising:

• first means producing a first square wave cyclic signal;
• second means having reactive means and an effective impedance, said second means producing a second cyclic signal at the same frequency as said first cyclic signal and operative to shift the phase of said second cyclic signal relative to the phase of said first cyclic signal in response to changes in the effective impedance of said second means;
• coupling means defining a surface which electrically couples with said reactive means, said surface movable from a first position having a minimum electric coupling to a second position having a maximum electric coupling to change said effective impedance and shift the phase of said second cyclic signal relative to the phase of said first cyclic signal, and said surface having a predetermined shape for controlling the amount of said electric coupling in response to both the shape of said surface and the position of said surface, whereby a predetermined linear or non-linear correlation between the movement of said surface and the phase shift may be obtained;
• wave shaping means operative to shape said second signal into a second square wave cyclic signal;
• and
• detector means operative to produce a cyclic output signal having an amplitude independent of the phase difference between said first and second square wave cyclic signals and having a duty cycle representative of the difference in phase between said first and second square wave cyclic signals.

A system for detecting the position of an object, said system comprising:

• means for producing a first square wave cyclic signal;
• a resonant circuit including reactive means, said resonant circuit excited by said first cyclic signal and operative to produce a second cyclic signal shiftable in phase relative to said first cyclic signal in response to changes in effective impedance of said resonant circuit;
• coupling means defining a surface which electrically couples with said reactive means, said surface movable from a first position having a minimum electric coupling to a second position having a maximum electric coupling to change said effective impedance and shift the phase of said second cyclic signal relative to the phase of said first cyclic signal, and said surface having a predetermined shape for controlling the amount of said electric coupling in response to both the shape of said surface and the position of said surface, whereby a predetermined linear or non-linear correlation between the movement of said surface and the phase shift may be obtained;
• wave shaping means operative to shape said second cyclic signal into a second square wave cyclic signal;
• and
• detector means operative to produce a cyclic output signal having an amplitude independent of the difference in phase between said first and second square wave cyclic signals and having a duty cycle representative of the difference in phase between said first and second signals.

A system for detecting the position of an object, said system comprising:

• means producing a first square wave cyclic signal;
• a resonant circuit excited by said first cyclic signal and including an inductor element connected in parallel with a capacitor element, said resonant circuit excited by said first cyclic signal and operative to produce a second cyclic signal shiftable in phase relative to said first cyclic signal in response to changes in effective impedance of said resonant circuit;
• coupling means defining a surface which inductively couples with said reactive means, said surface movable from a first position having a minimum coupling to a second position having a maximum coupling to change said effective impedance and shift the phase of said second cyclic signal relative to the phase of said first cyclic signal, and said surface having a predetermined shape for controlling the amount of said electric coupling in response to both the shape of said surface and the position of said surface whereby a predetermined linear or non-linear correlation between the movement of said surface and the phase shift may be obtained;
• wave shaping means operative to shape said second cyclic signal into a second square wave cyclic signal;
• and
• detector means operative to produce a cyclic output signal having an amplitude independent of the difference in phase between said first and second square wave signals and having a duty cycle representative of the difference in phase between said first and second square wave signals.