IP Library Granted Patent US 9,671,477
Granted Patent B2
US 9,671,477 · App. 14/083,753 · Granted Jun 6, 2017

Inductive sensor for a motor vehicle, comprising electric oscillators designed to form an AC voltage at the terminals of a field coil by means of electric resonance

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,671,477
App. No.
14/083,753
Granted
Jun 6, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

An inductive sensor ( 100 ) for a motor vehicle, includes: a field coil ( 101 ) designed to form an electromagnetic field, a coil ( 103 ) for measuring a magnetic field and designed to provide an output signal representative of the position of a metal target ( 102 ) in the magnetic field formed by the field coil ( 101 ), and at least two electric circuits ( 111 ) connected simultaneously in parallel to the terminals of the field coil ( 101 ), each electric circuit ( 111 ) including an inverter element ( 112 ) and a capacitive element ( 113 ), and forming, together with the field coil ( 101 ) an electric oscillator ( 110 ) designed to form an AC voltage at the terminals of the field coil ( 10 ) via electric resonance, the electric oscillators ( 110 ) being of the same resonance frequency.

Claims (24)

1. An inductive sensor for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a field coil designed to form an electromagnetic field,

at least one measuring coil for measuring a magnetic field and designed to provide an output signal representative of the position of a metal target in the magnetic field formed by the field coil,

at least two electric circuits connected simultaneously in parallel to the terminals of the field coil, each electric circuit comprising an inverter element and a capacitive element, and forming, together with said field coil, an electric oscillator designed to form an AC voltage at the terminals of said field coil by means of electric resonance, said electric oscillators being of the same resonance frequency, and functioning simultaneously,

a first inverter element of a first electric circuit is integrated in a first integrated circuit,

a second inverter element of a second electric circuit integrated in a second integrated circuit,

each integrated circuit is connected to the terminals of the field coil,

the first integrated circuit is connected to two measuring coils and to a control circuit,

the second integrated circuit is connected to two other measuring coils and to the control circuit, and

each electric circuit transmits a signal to the control circuit, said signal corresponding to the information concerning simultaneous function of the electric oscillators.

2. The sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the inverter element is an inverter logic gate.

3. The sensor according to claim 2 , wherein the resonance frequency value is between two megahertz and six megahertz.

4. The sensor according to claim 2 , wherein the resonance frequency value is between two megahertz and six megahertz.

5. The sensor according to claim 4 , wherein each of said two integrated circuits is designed to determine information concerning the position of the metal target according to output signals received from one or more measuring coils.

6. The sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the inverter element is an inverter/amplifier assembly.

7. The sensor according to claim 6 , wherein the resonance frequency value is between two megahertz and six megahertz.

8. The sensor according to claim 6 , characterized in that the resonance frequency value is between two megahertz and six megahertz.

9. The sensor according to claim 8 , wherein each of said two integrated circuits is designed to determine information concerning the position of the metal target according to output signals received from one or more measuring coils.

10. The sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the resonance frequency value is between two megahertz and six megahertz.

11. The sensor according to claim 10 wherein each of said two integrated circuits is designed to determine information concerning the position of the metal target according to output signals received from one or more measuring coils.

12. The sensor according to claim 1 , wherein, should an electric circuit become faulty, said electric circuit is designed to stop functioning, whereas the other electric circuit is designed to continue functioning without interruption.

13. The sensor according to claim 10 , wherein the resonance frequency value is between two megahertz and six megahertz.

14. The sensor according to claim 13 , wherein each of said two integrated circuits is designed to determine information concerning the position of the metal target according to output signals received from one or more measuring coils.

15. A motor vehicle comprising the inductive sensor according to claim 1 .

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 24, 2023
From: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH; VITESCO TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
To: VITESCO TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
Reel/Frame 063425/0149 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 25, 2023
From: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE FRANCE S.A.S.; CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
To: VITESCO TECHNOLOGIES GMBH; CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
Reel/Frame 062492/0737 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 2, 2014
From: VAYSSE, BERTRAND; FONTANET, ALAIN; BLANC, JEREMIE; ROUX, JEAN-LOUIS
To: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE FRANCE; CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
Reel/Frame 031873/0001 →