Back to results
US 6,546,780 B1Granted
Position sensor method and apparatus
AssigneeDelphi Technologies, Inc.
InventorsSamuel Roland Palfenier, Cecilia Hernandez
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeDelphi Technologies, Inc.
InventorsSamuel Roland Palfenier, Cecilia Hernandez
Estimating the term…
A sensor assembly for sensing the angular position of a rotatable body such as a motor vehicle steering column. The sensor assembly includes a ring gear which is zero calibrated upon assembly of the sensor assembly. The sensor assembly further includes a ring member which functions to lock the ring gear to the sensor housing to maintain the zero calibration between the time of calibration and the subsequent mounting of the sensor assembly on the steering column and further functions to release the ring member for free rotation with the steering column in response to mounting of the sensor assembly on the steering column. The locking and releasing functions of the sensor assembly are performed by a finger structure of the ring member which includes a free end which is engaged in a notch in the sensor housing upon calibration of the sensor assembly to maintain the calibration setting and which further includes a release portion which is engaged by the steering column as the sensor assembly is mounted on the steering column to pivot the finger structure in a sense to move the free end of the finger structure out of the housing notch.
A sensor assembly for sensing the angular position of a rotatable body and including a sensor housing, a rotatable element mounted in the housing, and sensor means operative to sense the angular position of the rotatable element and generate a control signal representative of the angular position of the rotatable element, characterized in that:
A sensor assembly for sensing the angular position of a rotatable body and including an annular sensor housing adapted to be positioned in surrounding relation to the rotatable body and an annular rotatable sensor element mounted for rotation within the sensor housing in surrounding relation to the rotatable body, characterized in that the sensor assembly further includes a connector ring including a coupling structure for connecting the ring to the rotatable element, a key structure for keying the connector ring to the rotatable body in response to mounting of the sensor assembly on the rotatable body, an anti-rotation structure for lockingly engaging the connector ring to the sensor housing, and a release structure operative in response to mounting of the sensor assembly on the rotatable body to release the anti-rotation structure from locking engagement with the sensor housing and allow the rotatable element to rotate with the rotatable body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.