Hall Effect sensor temperature compensator
View Patent ↗A system and method for compensating the output of an uncompensated Hall Effect sensor used to monitor an output shaft of an actuator. The actuator includes an output shaft, a magnet coupled to the output shaft, a motor for rotating the output shaft between a first position and a second position and an electronic control module having a controller, a diode and an uncompensated Hall Effect sensor.
1. An actuator comprising:
an output shaft;
a motor coupled to the output shaft and adapted to rotate the output shaft;
a magnet mounted so as to be rotatable with the output shaft, the magnet producing a magnetic field;
a controller in communication with a sensor, the sensor being located so as to perceive the magnetic field produced by the magnet;
a diode located in proximity to the sensor, the diode being configured to output a temperature signal corresponding to temperature of the sensor, whereby the controller is further configured to compensate a signal received from the sensor based on the temperature signal received from the diode.
2. The actuator of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a Hall Effect sensor.
3. The actuator of claim 1 , wherein the Hall Effect sensor is an uncompensated Hall Effect sensor.
4. The actuator of claim 1 , wherein the magnet is a neodymium iron boron magnet.
5. The actuator of claim 1 , wherein the electronic control module further comprises a memory unit in communication with the controller.
6. The actuator of claim 5 , wherein the memory unit is a non-volatile memory unit.
7. The actuator of claim 1 , further comprising a motor in communication with the controller, the motor coupled to the output shaft so as to be rotated thereby.
8. The actuator of claim 7 , further comprising a gear train in mechanical communication between the motor and the output shaft.