Back to results
US 4,646,042 AGranted
Speed and distance sensor
AssigneeHi-Stat Manufacturing Co., Inc.
InventorRobert W. Eshelman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeHi-Stat Manufacturing Co., Inc.
InventorRobert W. Eshelman
Estimating the term…
A speed and distance sensor comprises a circular magnet supported on a shaft journaled on a housing. The magnet is polarized at regular circumferential intervals and is accurately axially located within the housing. A reed switch is disposed adjacent the rotating magnet and is coupled with the varying magnetic field produced by the rotating magnet so that the reeds open and close as the magnet rotates. The reed switch is mounted within the housing on a retainer, and the retainer is selectively positionable via an adjustment screw for precisely positioning the reed switch in relation to the magnet to achieve a degree of coupling which produces a desired duty cycle characteristic in the opening and closing of the reed switch. A wiring harness is connected with the leads of the reed switch to provide for connection with an external electronic circuit. The wires and leads are accurately located by means of locators formed in the housing to promote convenient assembly. In another embodiment the reed switch mounts on the housing by means of its own lead wires, and a compensator on the housing is operable to control the amount of flux from the magnet which acts on the reed switch.
A speed and distance sensor comprising an input shaft for providing speed and distance input, a magnet which is rotated by said input shaft and which is polarized at regular circumferential intervals to create a varying external magnetic field adjacent the magnet as it rotates, a switch which is adjacent said magnet and which is responsive to rotation of said magnet to be alternately opened and closed by the varying magnetic field from the rotating magnet, in which said magnet and said switch are enclosed by a housing comprising two housing parts which are assembled together, and including positionable means within said housing operable via positioning means at the exterior of the housing for cooperatively relating said switch and magnet in a desired magnetic coupling relationship within the housing to yield a desired duty cycle characteristic of operation of said switch by said magnet.
A speed and distance sensor comprising an input shaft for providing speed and distance input, a magnet which is rotated by said input shaft and which is polarized at regular circumferential intervals to create a varying external magnetic field adjacent the magnet as it rotates, a switch which is adjacent said magnet and which is responsive to rotation of said magnet to be alternately opened and closed by the varying magnetic field from the rotating magnet, in which said magnet and said switch are enclosed by two housing parts which are assembled together, and including means for cooperatively relating said switch and magnet in a desired relationship to each other within the two assembled housing parts to yield a desired duty cycle characteristic of operation of said switch by said magnet, in which said two housing parts assemble together axially, and wherein said means for cooperatively relating said switch and magnet in a desired relationship to each other within the two assembled housing parts to yield a desired duty cycle characteristic of operation of said switch by said magnet comprises means for axially relating the magnet and the switch in a desired axial relationship to each other to achieve the desired duty cycle characteristic, said switch comprises a main body having its own longitudinal axis which is arranged on said one housing part substantially tangential to an imaginary circle concentric with the axis of said input shaft, said means for cooperatively relating said switch and magnet in a desired relationship to each other within said two housing parts to yield a desired duty cycle characteristic of operation of said switch by said magnet comprises means for axially positioning said switch's main body on said one housing part, and which said switch's main body is releasably held by a retainer which in turn mounts on said one housing part, and means for selectively positioning said retainer on said one housing part to in turn selectively position said switch's main body on said one housing part in which said retainer has its own longitudinal axis which is arranged transverse to the axis of said input shaft, said retainer comprising a central aperture through which said input shaft passes, means for attaching said retainer to said one housing part at a location spaced axially along said retainer in one direction from its aperture, and said retainer comprising means holding the switch's main body in axially spaced relation to the aperture in the opposite direction.
A speed and distance sensor comprising an input shaft for providing speed and distance input, a magnet which is rotated by said input shaft and which is polarized at regular circumferential intervals to create a varying external magnetic field adjacent the magnet as it rotates, a switch which is adjacent said magnet and which is responsive to rotation of said magnet to be alternately open and closed by a varying magnetic field from the rotating magnet, and a housing on which the shaft is journaled to support the magnet for rotation wherein the switch is a reed switch comprising a capsule containing a pair of magnetically responsive contacts and leads extending from axial ends of the capsule, and wherein the reed switch is arranged with its capsule's axis substantially tangent to an imaginary circle concentric with the axis of said input shaft, the reed switch is held on a retainer which mounts on the housing and which is operable to selectively position the reed switch in relation to the magnet, and said retainer has a longitudinal axis and is attached to the housing adjacent one axial end thereof, wherein the capsule is held on the retainer's opposite axial end, wherein the axis of the retainer is disposed diametrically to the axis of the input shaft and said retainer includes an aperture through which the input shaft passes, and including a wire harness for the sensor comprising a pair of wires which enter the housing and pass behind the retainer when viewed axially from one direction, the wires splitting away from each other to protrude from behind the retainer along longitudinal edges of the retainer when still viewed axially from the same direction, and means joining said wires to the leads from the capsule in outwardly spaced relation to the longitudinal edges of the retainer.
A speed and distance sensor comprising an input shaft for providing speed and distance input, a magnet which is rotated by said input shaft and which is polarized at regular circumferential intervals to create a varying external magnetic field adjacent the magnet as it rotates, a switch which is adjacent said magnet and which is responsive to rotation of said magnet to be alternately open and closed by a varying magnetic field from the rotation magnet, and a housing on which the shaft is journaled to support the magnet for rotation wherein the switch is a reed switch comprising a capsule containing a pair of magnetically responsive contacts and leads extending from axial ends of the capsule, and wherein the reed switch is arranged with its capsule's axis substantially tangent to an imaginary circle concentric with the axis of said input shaft, including a member on said housing which is operable by an external tool to selectively control the percentage of the magnetic field issued by said magnet which is allowed to act upon said reed swtich.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.