US 12,140,486 B1
Inductive angle sensor and inductive torque sensor
Mohammed El-Shennawy, Dresden (DE); Soumil Kumar, Dresden (DE); and Yassine Akermi, Bevaix (CH)
Assigned to MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SA, Bevaix (CH)
Filed by Melexis Technologies SA, Bevaix (CH)
Filed on Jul. 23, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/780,642.
Claims priority of application No. 23190710 (EP), filed on Aug. 9, 2023.
Int. Cl. G01L 3/10 (2006.01); G01B 7/30 (2006.01); G01D 5/20 (2006.01)
CPC G01L 3/105 (2013.01) [G01B 7/30 (2013.01); G01D 5/20 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An inductive angle sensor comprising:
a first transmitter coil (TX1);
a second transmitter coil (TX2) inductively coupled to the first transmitter coil (TX1), the first and the second transmitter coil together forming an inductively coupled transmitter coil system;
a first set of receiver coils (RX1a, RX1b, RX1c) comprising at least two or at least three receiver coils;
a second set of receiver coils (Rx2a, RX2b, RX2c) comprising at least two or at least three receiver coils;
a first integrated device (IC1) having a first oscillator pin (LCP1) and a second oscillator pin (LCN1), and having an excitation circuit for providing an alternating signal over its oscillator pins (LCP1, LCN1); and having a plurality of receiver pins connected to the first set of receiver coils (RX1a, RX1b, RX1c), and an evaluation circuit for evaluating signals obtained from the first set of receiver coils;
a second integrated device (IC2) having a first oscillator pin (LCP2) and a second oscillator pin (LCN2), and having an excitation circuit for providing an alternating signal over its oscillator pins (LCP2, LCN2); and having a plurality of receiver pins connected to the second set of receiver coils (RX2a, RX2b, RX2c), and an evaluation circuit for evaluating signals obtained from the second set of receiver coils;
at least one movable target (112; 312; 412a, 412a′, 412b, 412b′) for providing an inductive coupling between the inductively coupled transmitter coil system and each set of receiver coils;
wherein the first transmitter coil (TX1) has a first end (TXla) operatively connected to the first oscillator pin (LCP1) of the first integrated device (IC1), and has a second end (TX1b) operatively connected to the second oscillator pin (LCN2) of the second integrated device (IC2); and
the second transmitter coil (TX2) has a first end (TX2a) operatively connected to the first oscillator pin (LCP2) of the second integrated device (IC2) and has a second end (TX2b) operatively connected to the second oscillator pin (LCN1) of the first integrated device (IC1).