Magnetic array position sensor and method
AssigneeDelphi Technologies, Inc.
InventorThaddeus Schroeder
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A movable target having individually identifiable magnetic irregularities and a stationary magnetosensitive array and circuit for sensing the magnetic irregularities to thereby provide position of the moveable target relative to a fixed initial location. A method to determine a present position of the target origin including the steps of: identifying a magnetic irregularity of the moveable target; determining a first distance, Y, equal to a distance of the identified magnetic irregularity to a target origin; determining a second distance, X, equal to a distance of the identified magnetic irregularity to the array origin; and determining a distance, L, of the target origin with respect to the fixed initial location, according to a relation: L=L0+X−Y.
Claims14
A method for determining movement of a movable target with respect to a fixed initial location, comprising the steps of:
- designating the fixed initial location;
- providing the moveable target movable with respect to the initial location, wherein the movable target has a plurality of individually identifiable magnetic irregularities, and wherein the moveable target has a target origin;
- providing a stationary magnetosensitive array proximally located with respect to the moveable target such that the array senses the magnetic irregularities of the moveable target, the array having an array origin located at a predetermined fixed distance, L0, from the fixed initial location;
- identifying a magnetic irregularity of the moveable target;
- determining a first distance, Y, equal to a distance of the identified magnetic irregularity to the target origin;
- determining a position of the identified magnetic irregularity with respect to the array, wherein a second distance, X, is determined which is equal to a distance of the identified magnetic irregularity to the array origin;
- and
- determining a target origin distance, L, of the target origin with respect to the fixed initial location, according to a relation:
- L=L0+X−Y.
A position sensor, comprising:
- a movable target having a plurality of magnetic irregularities, wherein each magnetic irregularity is individually identifiable, said movable target having a target origin;
- a fixed array comprising a plurality of magnetosensitive elements positioned relative to said magnetic irregularities to enable sensing magnetic effects of said magnetic irregularities, said array having an array origin;
- and
- electrical circuit means for determining a present position of said target origin relative to a fixed initial position of said target origin according to a relation L=L0+X−Y, wherein L is a distance of the present position of the target origin to the fixed initial position, L0 is a distance of the array origin to the fixed initial position, X is a distance of the array origin to a location in the array of an identified magnetic irregularity sensed by the array, and Y is a distance of the identified magnetic irregularity to the target origin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.