Power actuator including magnetic position detector
First Claim
1. A power actuator comprising:
- (A) a casing wall which has inner and outer surfaces and which is made of a magnetically conductive material;
(B) a movable actuator disposed inside of said inner surface;
(C) means, attached to said actuator, for generating a magnetic field forming a main flux in said casing wall which is normally shielded from said outer surface by said magnetically conductive material of said casing wall;
(D) a magnetic flux conductor which has an inner end adjacent said outer surface of said casing wall and which has an air gap formed therein, said magnetic flux conductor generating a secondary magnetic flux when said movable actuator is disposed adjacent said magnetic flux conductor; and
(E) a magnetic field sensor mounted in said air gap.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A power actuator including a movable actuator member at the rear of a casing wall and has means for generating a magnetic field attached thereto, and a magnetic field sensor adapted to be mounted at the front of the casing wall. In order to permit the position of a piston to be detected even in the case of high-pressure cylinders having a magnetically shielding casing wall, the casing wall is made of a magnetically shielding material in which a magnetic main flux is created, and for creating a secondary magnetic flux, two magnetic conductors each having two ends are disposed on the front side of the casing wall with their first ends adjacent the casing wall and their second ends disposed opposite one another so as to define an air gap therebetween, the magnetic field sensor is mounted in the air gap between the two second ends.
73 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A power actuator comprising:
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(A) a casing wall which has inner and outer surfaces and which is made of a magnetically conductive material; (B) a movable actuator disposed inside of said inner surface; (C) means, attached to said actuator, for generating a magnetic field forming a main flux in said casing wall which is normally shielded from said outer surface by said magnetically conductive material of said casing wall; (D) a magnetic flux conductor which has an inner end adjacent said outer surface of said casing wall and which has an air gap formed therein, said magnetic flux conductor generating a secondary magnetic flux when said movable actuator is disposed adjacent said magnetic flux conductor; and (E) a magnetic field sensor mounted in said air gap. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of detecting a movable actuator at a designated location within a casing wall, said casing wall being formed of a magnetically conductive material, said method comprising:
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(A) generating a magnetic field via a magnet located on said movable actuator; (B) forming a main flux in said casing wall which normally is shielded from an outer surface of said casing wall by said magnetically conductive material of said casing wall; (C) generating a secondary magnetic field by diverting a portion of said main flux through a bridge, formed by first and second magnetic flux conductors located outside of said outer surface of said casing wall, when said movable actuator is located at said designated location; and
then(D) detecting said secondary magnetic field via a magnetic field sensor mounted in an air gap formed between said first and second magnetic flux conductors.
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Specification