Proximity sensor

• US 9,945,695 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2015
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Simmonds Precision Products, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Simmonds Precision Products, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Fusare, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Haidong
• Application Number:
  US14/717,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20160341572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/00 Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of electric or magnetic techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B7/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/20 by varying inductance, e.g. by a movable armature
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/954 controlled by an oscillatory signal

Abstract

A proximity sensor includes an active sensor, a passive target, and a measurement circuit. The active sensor includes an active resonant tank circuit that includes an excitation source, a first capacitor, and a first inductor. The passive target includes a passive resonant tank circuit that includes a second capacitor and a second inductor, where magnetic coupling between the first inductor and the second inductor varies as a function of physical displacement of the first inductor and the second inductor with respect to one another. The measurement circuit is configured to measure a coupled resonant frequency response in the active resonant tank circuit and provide a measured distance output based on the coupled resonant frequency response.

Claims

1. A proximity sensor comprising:

an active sensor comprising an active electrical resonant tank circuit that includes an excitation source, a first capacitor, and a first inductor;

a passive target comprising a passive electrical resonant tank circuit that includes a second capacitor and a second inductor, wherein magnetic coupling between the first inductor and the second inductor varies as a function of separation distance between the first inductor and the second inductor in parallel with the second capacitor; and

a measurement circuit configured to measure an analog value of the coupled resonant frequency response in the active electrical resonant tank circuit and provide a measured distance output based on the analog value of the coupled resonant frequency response, wherein the analog value of the coupled resonant frequency response varies as a function of the separation distance;

wherein the active electrical resonant tank circuit has a quality factor Q1 greater than one and the passive electrical resonant tank circuit has a quality factor Q2 greater than one; and

wherein the measured distance output is a signal that represents the separation distance.

2. The proximity sensor of claim 1, wherein the active electrical resonant tank circuit and the passive electrical resonant tank circuit are tuned to substantially equal resonant frequencies.

3. The proximity sensor of claim 1, wherein the active electrical resonant tank circuit and passive electrical resonant tank circuit have a coefficient of coupling, and wherein the coefficient of coupling is at least as large as a critical coefficient of coupling between the active electrical resonant tank circuit and the passive electrical resonant tank circuit.

4. The proximity sensor of claim 3, wherein the coefficient of coupling is greater than the critical coefficient of coupling between the active electrical resonant tank circuit and the passive electrical resonant tank circuit.

5. The proximity sensor of claim 1, wherein the coupled resonant frequency response is determined by analyzing a voltage across a component of the active electrical resonant tank circuit.

6. The proximity sensor of claim 1, wherein the coupled resonant frequency response is determined by analyzing a current through the active electrical resonant tank circuit.

7. The proximity sensor of claim 1, wherein the measurement circuit determines a distance between the active sensor and the passive target by analyzing the coupled resonant frequency response versus a coefficient of coupling.

8. The proximity sensor of claim 1, wherein the measurement circuit determines a distance between the active sensor and the passive target by analyzing the coupled resonant frequency response in a time domain versus a coefficient of coupling.

9. A proximity sensor system comprising:

a proximity sensor comprising;

an active sensor comprising an active electrical resonant tank circuit that includes an excitation source, a first capacitor, and a first inductor;

a passive target comprising a passive electrical resonant tank circuit that includes a second capacitor and a second inductor in parallel with the second capacitor, wherein magnetic coupling between the first inductor and the second inductor varies as a function of separation distance between the first inductor and the second inductor; and

a measurement circuit configured to measure an analog value of the coupled resonant frequency response in the active electrical resonant tank circuit and provide a measured distance output based on the analog value of the coupled resonant frequency response, wherein the analog value of the coupled resonant frequency response varies as a function of the separation distance; and

a controller connected to the measurement circuit for controlling a system component based on the measured distance output; and

wherein the active electrical resonant tank circuit and passive electrical resonant tank circuit have a coefficient of coupling, and wherein the coefficient of coupling is greater than a critical coefficient of coupling between the active electrical resonant tank circuit and the passive electrical resonant tank circuit; and

wherein the measured distance output is a signal that represents the separation distance.

10. The proximity sensor system of claim 9, wherein the active electrical resonant tank circuit and the passive electrical resonant tank circuit are tuned to substantially equal resonant frequencies.

11. The proximity sensor system of claim 9, wherein the active electrical tank circuit has a quality factor Q1 greater than one and wherein the passive electrical tank circuit has a quality factor Q2 greater than one.

12. The proximity sensor system of claim 9, wherein the measurement circuit determines a distance between the active sensor and the passive target by analyzing one of the coupled resonant frequency response versus a coefficient of coupling or the coupled resonant frequency response in a time domain versus a coefficient of coupling.

13. The proximity sensor system of claim 9 and further comprising a sensing object for attaching the active sensor.

14. The proximity sensor system of claim 13 and further comprising a target object for attaching the passive target, wherein the target object and the sensing object are movable with respect to one another.

15. The proximity sensor system of claim 14, wherein the controller controls one of the sensing object or the target object based on the measured distance output.

16. A method of determining separation distance between a first inductor and a second inductor, the method comprising:

powering an active sensor comprising an active electrical resonant tank circuit which is magnetically coupled to a passive electrical resonant tank circuit of a passive target, and wherein the magnetic coupling between the active electrical resonant tank circuit and the passive electrical resonant tank circuit varies as a function of separation distance between the active and passive electrical resonant tank circuits;

maintaining a quality factor Q1 of greater than one for the active electrical resonant tank circuit and a quality factor Q2 greater than one for the passive electrical resonant tank circuit;

measuring an analog value of the coupled resonant frequency response in the active electrical resonant tank circuit that is a function of the magnetic coupling between the active electrical resonant tank circuit and the passive electrical resonant tank circuit, wherein the analog value of the coupled resonant frequency response varies as a function of the separation distance; and

producing a measured distance output based on the analog value of the coupled resonant frequency response, wherein the measured distance output is a signal that represents the separation distance;

wherein the passive electrical resonant tank circuit is comprised of a second capacitor in parallel with a second inductor.

17. The method of determining separation distance of claim 16, wherein the active electrical resonant tank circuit and the passive electrical resonant tank circuit are tuned to substantially equal resonant frequencies.

18. The method of determining separation distance of claim 16 including:

sending the measured distance output to a controller.

19. The method of determining separation distance of claim 17 including:

controlling a system component based on the measured distance output.

20. The method of determining separation distance of claim 16 and further including:

maintaining a coefficient of coupling between the active electrical resonant tank circuit and the passive electrical resonant tank circuit that is greater than a critical coefficient of coupling between the active electrical resonant tank circuit and the passive electrical resonant tank circuit.