Angular sensor with a magneto-electric transducer and a magnetic deflection device

• US 7,030,606 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2002
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Kato, Yukihiro, Taguchi, Kenichi, Tagawa, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): PATIDAR, JAY M
• Application Number:
  US10/206,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20030020468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• Field of Search: 324/207.12, 3242072-20721, 32420725-20726, 338/32.R, 338/32.H
• US Class Current: 324/207.25
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/02 with provision for altering or correcting the law of variation
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/145 influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields see G01R33/06

Abstract

An angular sensor which enables to obtain an output signal proportional to a relative rotational angle with low manufacturing cost and with miniaturized size. An angular sensor which includes a first magnet and a second magnet fixed to a rotation body, magnetic flux sensing surface is fixed to the stator to be positioned in magnetic field between the first magnet and the second magnet and perpendicular to magnetic sensing direction for sensing a magnetic flux, a magneto-electric transducer element for outputting an electric signal corresponding to a magnetic sensing direction element of the magnetic density, deflection yokes. The deflection yokes are positioned facing the magnetic flux sensing surfaces. The deflection yokes are positioned within a range of three quarters of a distance between the first magnet and the second magnet in X-axis direction and one half of a distance between the first magnet and the second magnet in Y-axis direction.

Claims

1. An angular sensor comprising:

a stator;

a rotor relatively rotatable to the stator on a z-axis;

a first rectangular magnet fixed to the rotor;

a second rectangular magnet fixed to the rotor opposing the first magnet;

a magneto-electric transducer element fixed to the stator on the Z-axis to be positioned in a magnetic field generated between the first magnet and the second magnet, having a sensing surface which senses a magnetic flux density whose direction is in an X-axis perpendicular to the Z-axis, and operable to output an electric signal representative of the component of the X-axis direction of the magnetic flux density; and

a deflection yoke made of magnetic material and fixed to the stator to be positioned in the magnetic field generated between the first magnet and the second magnet;

wherein the first magnet has one magnetic pole which is facing the Z-axis and is magnetized to be an S-pole;

the second magnet has one magnetic pole which is facing the Z-axis and is magnetized to be an N-pole;

the S-pole of the first magnet and the N-pole of the second magnet are facing each other; and

the deflection yoke is positioned facing the sensing surface of the magneto-electric transducer and is positioned within a range of three quarters of a distance between the first magnet and the second magnet opposing each other in the X-axis direction which is perpendicular to the sensing surface of the magneto-electric transducer and is positioned within a range of one half of the distance between the first magnet and the second magnet opposing each other in the Y-axis direction which is parallel to the sensing surface of the magneto-electric transducer;

wherein the first magnet includes two magnets and the second magnet includes two magnets; and

wherein said each magnet of the first magnet is fixed to the rotor keeping a predetermined distance from each other and said each magnet of the second magnet is fixed to the rotor keeping a predetermined distance from each other.

2. An angular sensor according to claim 1, wherein a length of the deflection yoke in the X-axis direction is longer than a length of the deflection yoke in the Y-axis direction.