Electronic position sensor assembly and engine control system

An electronic engine control system which utilizes an improved engine position sensor assembly, comprising:

• a wheel rotatably driven about an axis by a multiple cylinder engine, said wheel having thereon a plurality of predetermined portions of at least three different angular widths a, b and c, angular width a being less than angular width b which is less than angular width c;
• a sensor means positioned fixed with respect to and adjacent said wheel, said sensor means having at least first and second sensing elements each independently sensing the passage of each of said predetermined portions by the sensing element and producing in response thereto a signal pulse having a duration corresponding to the angular width of said sensed predetermined portion;
• said first and second sensing elements spaced apart by a dimension d corresponding to an angular width which is less than angular width c but more than width a and more than angular width b;
• coincidence means for providing a first reference signal in response to said first and second sensing elements simultaneously producing predetermined logic state conditions of said sensor signal pulses;
• means for providing a second reference signal, different from said first reference signal, in response to one of sensing elements producing a signal pulse having a predetermined longer duration than the preceding signal pulse produced by that sensing element;
• and
• engine control means for utilizing said signal pulses from at least one of said first and second sensing elements and at least one of said first and second reference signals to control fuel combustion in the cylinders of said engine.

An electronic motor control system comprising:

• means for sensing the position of a body rotated by a motor and including two independent sensing elements each of which independently senses the rotational position of said body and provides a separate, independent position signal, comprising signal pulses, related to the angular position of said body;
• means for receiving each of said position sensor signals and providing a first reference signal pulse in response to the simultaneous time occurrence of predetermined logic state conditions of said position signals, said first reference signal pulse indicative of the occurrence of a predetermined rotational position of said body;
• means for controlling operation of said motor in accordance with said reference signal and at least one of said position signals;
• means for detecting a fault in said one of said position signals;
• and
• means, in response to said fault detection, for selecting the other of said position signals, instead of said one position signal, for utilization by said motor control means.

An electronic motor control system comprising:

• means for sensing the position of a body rotated by a motor and including two independent sensing elements each of which independently senses the rotational position of said body and provides a separate, independent position signal related to the angular position of said body;
• means for receiving each of said position sensor signals and providing a first reference signal in response to the simultaneous time occurrence of predetermined logic state conditions of said position signals;
• means for controlling operation of said motor in accordance with said reference signal and at least one of said position signals;
• means for detecting a fault in said one of said position signals;
• and
• means, in response to said fault detection, for providing a substitute reference signal to said motor control means for utilization rather than said reference signal.

A high resolution electronic position sensor assembly comprising:

• a wheel rotatably driven about an axis, said wheel having thereon at least one predetermined portion having an angular width c and a plurality of predetermined portions having other angular widths less than angular width c;
• a sensor means positioned fixed with respect to and adjacent said wheel, said sensor means having at least first and second sensing elements each independently sensing the passage of each of said predetermined portions by the sensing element and producing in response thereto an associated signal having a signal pulse having a duration corresponding to the angular width of said sensed predetermined portion;
• said first and second sensing elements spaced apart by a dimension d corresponding to an angular width which is less than angular width c but more than said other angular widths;
• and
• coincidence means for providing a first reference signal in response to said first and second sensing elements simultaneously producing predetermined logic state conditions of said signal pulses,
• wherein there are at least 36 of all of said predetermined portions, all of said predetermined portions being uniformly positioned about said wheel with leading edges thereof, with respect to said sensing elements, being spaced apart by an angular width e which is larger than said angular width d.

An electronic engine control system which utilizes an improved engine position sensor assembly, comprising:

• a wheel rotatably driven about an axis by an engine having a plurality of cylinders, said wheel having thereon at least one predetermined portion having an angular width c and a plurality of predetermined portions of other angular widths less than angular width c;
• a sensor means positioned fixed with respect to and adjacent said wheel, said sensor means having at least first and second sensing elements each independently sensing the passage of each of said predetermined portions by the sensing element and producing in response thereto an associated signal having signal pulses having a duration corresponding to the angular width of said sensed predetermined portion;
• said first and second sensing elements spaced apart by a dimension d corresponding to an angular width which is less than angular width c but more than said other angular widths;
• coincidence means for providing a first reference signal in response to said first and second sensing elements simultaneously producing predetermined logic state conditions of said signal pulses, and
• engine control means for utilizing said signal pulses from at least one of said first and second sensing elements and at least said reference signal to control fuel combustion in the cylinders of said engine, wherein the number of said predetermined portions having angular widths less than angular width c is substantially more than the number of engine cylinders.

An electronic position sensor assembly comprising:

• a wheel rotatably driven about an axis, said wheel having thereon a plurality of predetermined portions of at least three different angular widths a, b and c, angular width a being less than angular width b which is less than angular width c;
• a sensor means positioned fixed with respect to and adjacent said wheel, said sensor means having at least first and second sending elements each independently sensing the passage of each of said predetermined portions by the sensing element and producing in response thereto a signal having signal pulses corresponding to and occurring during the angular width of said sensed predetermined portion;
• said first and second sensing elements spaced apart by a dimension d corresponding to an angular width which is less than angular width c but more than angular width a and more than angular width b;
• coincidence means for providing a first reference signal, indicative of the passage of said predetermined portion of width c by the sensor means, in response to said first and second sensing elements simultaneously producing predetermined logic state conditions of said sensor signal pulses;
• and
• means for receiving said sensor signal pulses provided by at least one of said first and second sensing elements and providing in response thereto a second reference signal, different from said first reference signal, indicative of the passage of each said predetermined portions of width b by the sensor means, whereby information as to the angular position of said wheel is obtained by at least said first and second reference signals.

An electronic engine control system which utilizes an improved engine position sensor assembly, comprising:

• a wheel rotatably driven about an axis by a multiple cylinder engine, said wheel having thereon a plurality of predetermined portions of at least three different angular widths a, b and c, angular width a being less than angular width b which is less than angular width c;
• a sensor means positioned fixed with respect to and adjacent said wheel, said sensor means having at least first and second sensing elements each independently sensing the passage of each of said predetermined portions by the sensing element and producing in response thereto a signal having signal pulses corresponding to and occurring during the angular width of said sensed predetermined portion;
• said first and second sensing elements spaced apart by a dimension d corresponding to an angular width which is less than angular with c but more than angular width a and more than angular width b;
• coincidence means for providing a first reference signal, indicative of the passage of said predetermined portion of width c by the sensor means, in response to said first and second sensing elements simultaneously producing predetermined logic state conditions of said sensor signal pulses;
• means for receiving said sensor signal pulses provided by at least one of said first and second sensing elements and providing in response thereto a second reference signal, different from said first reference signal, indicative of the passage of each said predetermined portions of width b by the sensor means, whereby information as to the angular position of said wheel is obtained by at least said first and second reference signals;
• and
• engine control means for utilizing said signal pulses from at least one of said first and second sensing elements and at least one of said first and second reference signals to control fuel combustion in the cylinders of said engine.

An electronic engine control system which utilizes an improved engine position sensor assembly, comprising:

• a wheel rotatably driven about an axis by an engine having a plurality of cylinders, said wheel having thereon at least one predetermined portion having an angular width c and a plurality of predetermined portions of other angular widths less than angular width c;
• a sensor means positioned fixed with respect to and adjacent said wheel, said sensor means having at least first and second sensing elements each independently sensing the passage of each of said predetermined portions by the sensing element and producing in response thereto an associated signal having signal pulses corresponding to and occurring during the angular width of said sensed predetermined portion;
• said first and second sensing elements spaced apart by a dimension d corresponding to an angular width which is less than angular width c but more than said other angular widths;
• coincidence means for providing a first reference signal, indicative of the passage of said predetermined portion of width c by the sensor means, in response to said first and second sensing elements simultaneously producing predetermined logic state conditions of said sensor signal pulses;
• and
• engine control means for utilizing said signal pulses from at least one of said first and second sensing elements and at least said reference signal to control fuel combustion in the cylinders of said engine, wherein the number of said predetermined portions having angular widths less than angular width c is substantially more than the number of engine cylinders.

An electronic engine control system which utilizes an improved engine position sensor assembly, comprising:

• a wheel rotatably driven about an axis by an engine having a plurality of cylinders, said wheel having thereon at least one predetermined portion having an angular width c and a plurality of predetermined portions of other angular widths less than angular width c spaced about said axis with an angular spacing e between corresponding edges of said plurality of predetermined portions;
• a sensor means positioned fixed with respect to and adjacent said wheel, said sensor means having at least first and second sensing elements each independently sensing the passage of each of said predetermined portions by the sensing element and producing in response thereto an associated signal having signal pulses corresponding to and occurring during the angular width of said sensed predetermined portion;
• said first and second sensing elements spaced apart by a dimension d corresponding to an angular width which is less than angular spacing e but more than said other angular widths of said predetermined portions which are less than angular width c;
• coincidence means for providing a first reference signal, indicative of the passage of said predetermined portion of width c by the sensor means, in response to said first and second sensing elements simultaneously producing predetermined logic state conditions of said sensor signal pulses;
• and
• engine control means for utilizing said signal pulses from at least one of said first and second sensing elements and at least said reference signal to control fuel combustion in the cylinders of said engine, wherein the number of said predetermined portions having angular widths less than angular width c is substantially more than the number of engine cylinders.