Patent · US Expired

Device for determining the spatial position of a sensor element which is displacement relative to a reference element

US5747996A · kind A · utility

29Cited by
8References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJun 20, 1996
Grant dateMay 5, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 20, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01B7/004
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A device for determining the spatial position of a sensor element (3) which is spatially displaceable relative to a reference element (1), includes three coils (4, 5, 6) which are arranged in the sensor element (3), consist of at least one wire turn, and are wound about a common center (7), at least three coils (2) which are arranged in the reference element (1) in spatially remote positions and consist of at least one wire turn, a current generator (11) for exciting the sensor element coils (4, 5 6) or the reference element coils (2) by means of a presettable excitation alternating current, and a processing circuit (15) for the voltages induced in the reference element coils (2) or in the sensor element coils (4, 5, 6). The processing circuit includes an arithmetic circuit which calculates, on the basis of the induced voltages, the distance coordinates x.sub.m, y.sub.m and z.sub.m of the center (7) of the sensor element coils (4, 5, 6) in a coordinate system associated with the reference element (1), as well as a feedback circuit (13) which controls the excitation currents in dependence on the amplitude of the induced voltages.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.