Apparatus for measuring the angular position of a shaft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11353339-B2
Application number	US-202016990467-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2020
Priority date	Aug 16, 2019
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring the angular position or the rotational movement of a shaft is described below. According to one exemplary embodiment, the apparatus has a first housing part and also a shaft which is arranged in the first housing part and can rotate about a rotation axis. The shaft has a bore which extends along the rotation axis from an end shaft of the shaft into the shaft. The apparatus further includes a magnet unit with at least one permanent magnet which is arranged within the bore and is fastened to the shaft, a second housing part with a projection which extends along the rotation axis into the bore, and also a magnetic field sensor element which is arranged in the interior of the projection of the second housing part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a first housing part;
a shaft which is arranged in the first housing part and configured to rotate about a rotation axis, wherein the shaft comprises a bore which extends inwardly in an axial direction along the rotation axis from an end side of the shaft;
a magnet module comprising at least one permanent magnet that is arranged within the bore and that is fastened to an internal surface of the shaft that defines the bore;
a second housing part comprising a main body that comprises a first interior cavity that extends lengthwise in a radial direction that is orthogonal to the axial direction, wherein the second housing part further comprises a hollow projection structure that is mechanically coupled to the main body and extends lengthwise in the axial direction along the rotation axis from the main body into the bore, wherein the hollow projection structure includes a second interior cavity that is conjoined with the first interior cavity to form a contiguous interior cavity;
a magnetic field sensor element that is arranged in the second interior cavity of the hollow projection structure;
a sensor circuit board arranged in the first interior cavity of the main body; and
a sensor circuit arranged in the first interior cavity and mechanically and electrically coupled to the sensor circuit board, wherein the sensor circuit is further electrically coupled to the magnetic field sensor element for receiving sensor signals therefrom.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the hollow projection structure is an integral constituent part of the second housing part.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second housing part forms a housing cover for the first housing part.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a support structure arranged in the second interior cavity of the hollow projection structure of the second housing part, wherein the magnetic field sensor element is mounted on the support structure.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second interior cavity extends from the first interior cavity into an interior of the hollow projection structure.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
an actuator configured to actuate an electric motor, wherein the shaft is the motor shaft of the electric motor and wherein the actuator is arranged in the first interior cavity of the main body of the second housing part.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor circuit board extends lengthwise in the radial direction.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the contiguous interior cavity has a T-shape.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the magnetic field sensor element is configured to generate the sensor signals based on a magnetic field generated by the magnet module, and
the sensor circuit is configured to receive the sensor signals and generate measurement signals indicative of a rotational parameter of the shaft based on the sensor signals, and wherein the sensor circuit is further configured to actuate the magnetic field sensor element.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the first housing part includes a third interior cavity in which the shaft and the hollow projection structure are arranged, and
the main body of the second housing part is coupled to an end of the first housing part as a housing cover such that the third interior cavity is delineated by an interior side of the main body of the second housing part.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the main body and the hollow projection structure are formed as a one-piece integral constituent part.

12. An apparatus, comprising:
a first housing part comprising a first interior cavity;
an electric motor which is arranged in the first interior cavity of the first housing part and has a motor shaft that is configured rotate about a rotation axis, wherein the motor shaft comprises a bore which inwardly extends in an axial direction along the rotation axis from an end side of the shaft;
a magnet module comprising at least one permanent magnet that is arranged within the bore and that is fastened to an internal surface of the shaft that defines the bore;
a second housing part comprising a main body that comprises a second interior cavity that extends lengthwise in a radial direction that is orthogonal to the axial direction, wherein the second housing part further comprises a hollow projection structure that is mechanically coupled to the main body and extends lengthwise in the axial direction along the rotation axis from the main body into the bore, wherein the hollow projection structure includes a third interior cavity that is conjoined with the second interior cavity to form a contiguous interior cavity;
an actuator that is arranged in the second interior cavity of the main body of the second housing part;
an electronic circuit for actuating the electric motor, wherein the electronic circuit is arranged in the actuator; and
a magnetic field sensor element arranged in the third interior cavity of the hollow projection structure, wherein the magnetic field sensor element is coupled to the electronic circuit, and wherein the wherein the electronic circuit is further configured to receive sensor signals from the magnetic field sensor element and generate measurement signals indicative of a rotational parameter of the shaft based on the sensor signals.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the main body of the second housing part fully closes an end of the first housing part, thereby partially enclosing the first interior cavity and therefore serves as a housing cover.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the second housing part is a constituent part of the first housing part.

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Slama Peter

Classifications

• G01D11/30

  Supports specially adapted for an instrument; Supports specially adapted for a set of instruments · CPC title

• H02K11/215 Primary

  Magnetic effect devices, e.g. Hall-effect or magneto-resistive elements · CPC title

• G01D5/245 Primary

  using a variable number of pulses in a train · CPC title

• G01D5/14

  influencing the magnitude of a current or voltage · CPC title

• G01P1/026

  for speed measuring devices, e.g. pulse generator · CPC title