Steering angle sensor

US6420697B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignees

• Leopold KOSTAL GmbH & Co. KG · DE
• PWB-Ruhlatec Industrieprodukte GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Harald Donner · Meinerzhagen, DE
• Ralf Bobel · Dortmund, DE
• Jürgen Kieselbach · Ruhla, DE
• Jens Hannemann · Wuppertal, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 1, 2000
• Grant date: Jul 16, 2002
• Expiry date: Sep 27, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01D5/3473
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A steering wheel angle sensor includes first and second sensors, a differential gear, and a detector. The first sensor determines steering wheel angular position within one revolution and the second sensor determines number of steering wheel revolutions. The first sensor has a first rotor carrying a first coding. The first rotor and the first coding rotate as the steering wheel rotates. The second sensor has a second rotor and a second coding movable by the second rotor. The gear includes driving, reference, and planetary wheels for coupling the rotors such that the rotors rotate at different speeds with respect to one another as the steering wheel rotates. The second rotor engages with a pivoted lever into an arm carrying the second coding such that the second coding pivots as the second rotor rotates. The detector scans the first coding within an angular segment of the steering wheel range of rotation as the first coding rotates. The detector scans the second coding within the steering wheel range of rotation as the second coding pivots while the second rotor rotates in order to determine the angular position of the steering wheel.