Process and device for determining the angular position of a rotating shaft using a pulse wheel and a hall sensor

• US 5,796,247 A
• Filed: 11/05/1996
• Issued: 08/18/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AB Elektronik GmbH (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AB Elektronik GmbH (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Pape, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patidar, Jay M.
• Application Number:
  US08/696,862
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 324/207.2, 324/207.22, 324/207.25, 324/166, 324/173, 324/174, 324/175, 324/207.21, 338/32 H, 340/670, 340/671, 340/686, 364/565, 123/414
• US Class Current: 324/207.2
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/28 Interface circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/145 influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields see G01R33/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00

Abstract

To determine the angular position of a rotating shaft starting from a standstill and going up to the highest permissible nominal speed and to suppress noise pluses in the square pulse sequence curve precisely corresponding to the tooth flank positions, a magnetic flux density signal received by a Hall cell (1) is compared with a threshold value signal (DC-TH)) in a standstill output unit (2) and a standstill output signal (AS") is produced. In addition, the magnetic flux density curve recorded by the first Hall cell (1) is compared with the magnetic flux density curve recorded by another Hall cell (1) and from that a window signal unit (5) generates a window signal (5) consisting of a sequence of pulses having a period that is approximately equal to a square pulse length. A static output signal (AS'"'"') is produced from the falling flank of the first pulse and the falling flanks of the subsequent pulses. The standstill output signal (AS"), the static output signal (AS'"'"'), the window signal (FS) and a square pulse sequence (ASR) generated in a dynamic selection circuit (3) connected to the Hall sensor unit (1) are input into an output circuit (6).

Claims

1. Process for determining the angular position of a rotating shaft, in which

a Hall sensor with a Hall cell (1;

11) is positioned in front of a pulse wheel (4;

4.1;

4.2) which is connected with the shaft,

the pulse wheel exhibits at least one tooth (Z1;

Z11, . . . , Z14) which exhibits one rising and one falling tooth flank (ZFA, ZFF), and which is provided with at least one tooth gap (ZL1;

ZL11, . . . , ZL14),

the Hall cell (1,

     11) picks up, as a function of time, the curve of a magnetic flux density (B) which is generated by the pulse wheel (4;

4.1;

4.2), and conveys it as a Hall voltage signal (UH),

the Hall voltage signal (UH) is converted in an output circuit (3) into a differentiated signal (SMP), and a square pulse sequence (ASR) is generated from that,

with the following additional process steps;

comparison of the Hall voltage signal with a threshold value signal (DC-TH) and production of a standstill output signal (AS)

differentiation of the signal (UH) after the time t to a differentiating voltage (DF)

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">DF=dUH/dt

production of a window signal FS by means of the comparison signal DF in accordance with the following rule;

FS=1 if DF not equal to zero

FS=0 if DF equals zero

production of a position output signal (ASI) from the standstill signal (AS) at a number of revolutions n=0 revolutions/min,

production of the position output signal (ASI) from the window signal FS and from the standstill signal (AS) at a rotational speed below a mode change rotational speed (n),

and at a rotational speed (n) above the mode change rotational speed (n), from the square pulse sequence (ASR),

whereby the mode change rotational speed (n) is greater than 1 revolution/min, and preferable amounts to 20 revolutions/min.

2. Process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that the Hall sensor is equipped with several Hall cells, each of which is activated according to the prevailing rotational speed (n).

3. Process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that from at least two Hall cells (1, 11), two Hall voltage signals (UH1, UH11) are generated, the signal difference of which is used in place of the differential signal (DF).

4. Process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that window signal levels (FS1, FS2) exhibit a pulse half-width (THTB1, THTB2) which deviate approximately ±

0.1 percent to 10 percent, preferably 3 percent, from the particular transition (UBG1, UBG2) of the level (AFL, ASH) of the square pulse (ASR).

5. Process in accordance with claim 1 characterized by the fact that the threshold value signal (DC-TH) is produced by means of a fixed switching window (SF), around which the Hall voltage curve of the magnetic flux density (B1) of the tooth (Z1;

Z11, . . . , Z14) and the tooth gap (ZL1;

ZL11, . . . , ZL14) are adjusted in such a way, whereby the lowest Hall voltage value (UHZmin) of the tooth (Z1;

Z11, . . . , Z14) produces the highest voltage level (UHFH) of the switching window (SF), and the highest all voltage value (UHZmax) of the tooth gap (ZL1;

ZL11, . . . , ZL14) produces the lowest voltage level (UHFL).

6. Process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that the switching window (SF) of a threshold value signal (DC-TH) is adjusted by means of a trimming resistor in such a way that with a fixed Hall voltage curve (U) of the magnetic flux density (B1) of the tooth (Z1;

Z11, . . . , Z14), the highest voltage level (UHFH) is forwarded to the lowest voltage value (UHZmin) of the tooth (Z1;

Z11, . . . , Z14), and the lowest voltage value (UHFL) of the switching window (SF) to the lowest voltage value (UHZmax) of the tooth gap (Z11;

ZL11, . . . , ZL14).

7. Device for detecting the angular position of a rotating shaft, including

a pulse wheel (4, 4.1, 4.2) which is connected with the shaft and which exhibits at least one tooth (Z1;

Z11, . . . , Z14), which has one rising and one falling tooth flank (ZFA, ZFF), and one tooth gap (Z11;

ZL11, . . . , ZL14),

a hall sensor unit with at least one Hall cell (1,

     11), in front of which the pulse wheel (4, 4.1, 4.2) is arranged in a rotating fashion, and

a dynamic selection circuit (3) which is connected with at least one of the Hall cells (1) characterized by the fact that connected in parallel with the dynamic selection circuit (3) are a window signal unit (5) and a standstill output unit (2), to which an output circuit (6) is assigned, in conjunction with which the first Hall cell (1) is connected with a first input of the window signal unit (5), whose output is placed on the output circuit (6), in conjunction with which the standstill output unit (2) is addressed at its first input with a threshold value signal (DC-TH) and is present with its second input at the first Hall cell (1) and is connected at its output with the output circuit (6), and in conjunction with which the output of the dynamic output circuit (3) is placed on the output circuit (6).

8. Device in accordance with claim 7, characterized by the fact that a second Hall cell (11) is placed at a second input of the window signal unit (5).

9. Device in accordance with claim 7, characterized by the fact that the window signal unit (5) is at the same time a static output unit.

10. Device in accordance with claim 7, characterized by the fact that the window signal unit (5) consists of the series connection of a window circuit (5.1) and a window comparator (5.2), in conjunction with which the first Hall sensor unit (1) is connected to the first input of the window circuit (5.1) and the second Hall sensor unit (11) to the second, and the output of the window comparator (5.2) is connected with the output circuit (6).

11. Device in accordance with claim 7, characterized by the fact that the window circuit (5.1) consists of a triple comparator (5.1.1) and a summing element (1.2), in conjunction with which the first Hall sensor unit (1) is connected to the first of the triple comparators, the second Hall sensor unit (11) to the second, and a power supply (7) to the third, and in conjunction with which the outputs of the triple comparator (5.1.1) are connected with the three inputs of the summing element (5.1.2), the output of which is placed on the window comparator (5.2) and on the output circuit (6).

12. Device in accordance with claim 7, characterized by the fact that the output circuit (6) consists of a decision logic circuit (6.1) and a following output unit (6.2), in conjunction with which the first input of the decision logic circuit (6.1) is connected with the output of the window circuit (5.2), the second input with the output of the dynamic selection circuit (3), and the third input with the output of the standstill output unit (2), and in conjunction with output of the output unit (6.2).

13. Device in accordance with claim 7, characterized by the fact that the standstill output unit is a comparator (2).