Angular position sensor assembly for use with steering column
US6829055B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 7, 2003 |
| Grant date | Dec 7, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 7, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01D5/34792
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An absolute angular position sensor assembly for use with a vehicle steering column that generally includes a digitally encoded disk, an optical output device and an optical input device. The encoded disk has numerous circumferentially extending, concentric data tracks; some of these tracks include cutouts representing absolute angular position bits and some include cutouts representing error correcting bits. Preferably, the absolute angular position bits are arranged according to a grey-code type arrangement, while the error correction bits include Reed-Solomon error detecting and correcting information. The optical output device shines light against the encoded disk such that a pattern, generally determined by the cutouts, is formed on the optical input device. The optical input device, in turn, utilizes that pattern to generate an angular position signal representative of the absolute angular position of the steering wheel and having error correction information.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.