Inductive position sensor

1. An inductive position detector comprising:

an electrical intermediate a inductive device defining a measurement path; and

an inductive antenna comprising at least two receive windings which have a fixed relative spacing along the measurement path; said electrical intermediate inductive device being a distinct device from said antenna wherein:

relative movement of the electrical intermediate inductive device and the inductive antenna changes the position of the inductive antenna on the measurement path;

the electrical intermediate inductive device comprises a substantially laminar passive resonant circuit formed by at least an outward conductive winding, a return conductive winding and a capacitor arranged in series with the conductive windings;

the outward winding and the return winding of said electrical intermediate inductive device cross to form at least two inductive loops of opposite current flow, in use, and the transverse distance of the outward winding to the measurement path varies with distance along the measurement path according to a predefined relationship such that the mutual inductance of the receive windings of said antenna and the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device is a function of the position of the antenna on the measurement path; and

the antenna is configured to induce an alternating current in the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device, in use, such that the induced alternating current in the passive resonant circuit induces an alternating signal in the receive windings of said antenna by virtue of the mutual inductance of the receive windings of said antenna and the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device, which signal is indicative of the position of the antenna on the measurement path; wherein said passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device comprises at least one pick-up winding in series with said outward and return conductive windings; said pick-up winding having substantially constant width along the measurement path.

2. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transverse distance of the return winding to the measurement path varies with distance along the measurement path according to a predefined relationship.

3. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the area defined by each of the said inductive loops is substantially equal.

4. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 1 , comprising a plurality of electrical intermediate inductive devices, each comprising a respective resonant circuit, with each resonant circuit having a different resonant frequency.

5. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the receive windings of the antenna are supplied, in use, with a pulsed alternating current which induces an alternating current in the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device, such that the passive resonant circuit induces an alternating current in the receive windings of the antenna in the off periods of the pulsed alternating current.

6. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the antenna comprises at least one transmit winding arranged to induce an alternating current in the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device.

7. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the transmit winding of said antenna has a substantially constant width along the measurement path.

8. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the antenna comprises two transmit windings of substantially the same area but opposite directions of current flow, such that in the absence of the electrical intermediate inductive device, substantially no signal is induced in the receive windings of said antenna by the transmit windings of said antenna.

9. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transverse distance of the outward winding of said electrical intermediate inductive device to the Measurement path varies periodically with distance along the measurement path.

10. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the spacing of the receive windings of said antenna is substantially equal to an integer multiple of one quarter of the period of the variation of the transverse distance of the outward winding to the measurement path.

11. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the electrical intermediate inductive device comprises a second passive resonant circuit comprising a second outward conductive winding, with the transverse distance of the second outward winding to the measurement path varying periodically with distance along the measurement path, and wherein the period of the periodic variation for each outward conductive winding is different.

12. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the difference in the periods of the two outward windings is such that the combination of the distance of each outward winding from the measurement path at a given position along the measurement path uniquely identifies that position along the measurement path.

13. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the two outward windings are spaced in a direction transverse to the measurement path.

14. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 11 , wherein each passive resonant circuit of the electrical intermediate inductive device has a different resonant frequency.

15. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transverse distance of the outward winding of said electrical intermediate inductive device to the measurement path varies sinusoidally with distance along the measurement path.

16. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the windings are provided as conductive tracks on a printed circuit board.

17. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the windings of the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate device are provided on a substantially laminar substrate having two opposed faces and the outward conductive winding of said electrical intermediate device is provided on one of said faces and the return conductive winding of said electrical intermediate device is provided on the other of said faces.

18. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the measurement path is linear.

19. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the measurement path is curved, particularly circular.

20. An inductive position detector as claimed in claim 1 ;

wherein the antenna comprises at least one transmit winding arranged to induce an alternating current in the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate device;

wherein the spacing of the receive windings is substantially equal to an integer multiple of one quarter of the period of the variation of the transverse distance of the outward winding to the measurement path;

wherein said passive resonant circuit of the electrical intermediate inductive device has a resonant frequency;

wherein the windings are provided as conductive tracks on a printed circuit board;

wherein the measurement path is linear.

21. A method of temperature compensation in a detector as claimed claim 1 , the method comprising measuring the resistance of at least one transmit winding of the antenna.

22. A method of measuring torque on a rotating shaft, the method comprising:

providing an inductive position detector with:

an electrical intermediate inductive device defining a measurement path; and

an inductive antenna comprising at least two receive windings which have a fixed relative spacing along the measurement path, wherein:

relative movement of the electrical intermediate inductive device and the inductive antenna changes the position of the inductive antenna on the measurement path;

the electrical intermediate inductive device comprises a substantially laminar passive resonant circuit formed by at least an outward conductive winding, a return conductive winding and a capacitor arranged in series with the conductive windings;

the outward winding and the return winding of said electrical intermediate inductive device cross to form at least two inductive loops of opposite current flow, in use, and the transverse distance of the outward winding to the measurement path varies with distance along the measurement path according to a predefined relationship such that the mutual inductance of the receive windings and the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device is a function of the position of the antenna on the measurement path; and

the antenna is configured to induce an alternating current in the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device, in use, such that the induced alternating current in the passive resonant circuit induces an alternating signal in the receive windings of said antenna by virtue of the mutual inductance of the receive windings of said antenna and the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device, which signal is indicative of the position of the antenna on the measurement path; wherein said passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device comprises at least one pick-up winding in series with said outward and return conductive windings; said pick-up winding having substantially constant width along the measurement path; the measurement path being curved;

mounting the electrical intermediate inductive device about the shaft for rotation therewith such that measurement path follows the circumferential direction of the shaft;

mounting the antenna on the shaft for rotation therewith;

detecting the induced signal in the antenna by means of inductive coupling;

determining relative movement of the electrical intermediate inductive device and the inductive antenna indicative of a torque on the shaft.

23. An inductive position detector comprising:

an electrical intermediate inductive device defining a measurement path; and

an inductive antenna comprising at least two receive windings which have a fixed relative spacing along the measurement path, wherein:

relative movement of the electrical intermediate inductive device and the inductive antenna changes the position of the inductive antenna on the measurement path;

the electrical intermediate inductive device comprises a substantially laminar passive resonant circuit formed by at least an outward conductive winding, a return conductive winding and a capacitor arranged in series with the conductive windings;

the outward winding and the return winding of said electrical intermediate inductive device cross to form at least two inductive loops of opposite current flow, in use, and the transverse distance of the outward winding to the measurement path varies with distance along the measurement path according to a predefined relationship such that the mutual inductance of the receive windings and the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device is a function of the position of the antenna on the measurement path;

the antenna is configured to induce an alternating current in the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device, in use, such that the induced alternating current in the passive resonant circuit induces an alternating signal in the receive windings of said antenna by virtue of the mutual inductance of the receive windings of said antenna and the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device, which signal is indicative of the position of the antenna on the measurement path;

the transverse distance of the outward winding of said electrical intermediate inductive device to the measurement path varies periodically with distance along the measurement path; and

the electrical intermediate inductive device comprises a second passive resonant circuit comprising a second outward conductive winding, with the transverse distance of the second outward winding to the measurement path varying periodically with distance along the measurement path, and wherein the period of the periodic variation for each outward conductive winding is different.

24. An inductive position detector comprising:

an electrical intermediate inductive device defining a measurement path; and

an inductive antenna comprising at least two receive windings which have a fixed relative spacing along the measurement path, wherein:

relative movement of the electrical intermediate inductive device and the inductive antenna changes the position of the inductive antenna on the measurement path;

the electrical intermediate inductive device comprises a substantially laminar passive resonant circuit formed by at least an outward conductive winding, a return conductive winding and a capacitor arranged in series with the conductive windings;

the outward winding and the return winding of said electrical intermediate inductive device cross to form at least two inductive loops of opposite current flow, in use, and the transverse distance of the outward winding to the measurement path varies with distance along the measurement path according to a predefined relationship such that the mutual inductance of the receive windings of said antenna and the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device is a function of the position of the antenna on the measurement path;

the antenna is configured to induce an alternating current in the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device, in use, such that the induced alternating current in the passive resonant circuit induces an alternating signal in the receive windings of said antenna by virtue of the mutual inductance of the receive windings of said antenna and the passive resonant circuit of said electrical intermediate inductive device, which signal is indicative of the position of the antenna on the measurement path;

wherein said electrical intermediate inductive device incorporates multiple overlapping conductive windings with distinct pitches.