IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,352,798
Granted Patent B2
US 10,352,798 · App. 15/658,412 · Granted Jul 16, 2019

Angular rotation sensor system

Inventors: Shiju Wang (Irvine, CA); Timothy Ronald Jackson (Yorba Linda, CA)
Assignee: Microsemi Corporation
G01L5/26B62D6/10B62D15/021B62D15/0215B62D15/0245G01D5/00G01D5/2006B62D5/0409
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,352,798
App. No.
15/658,412
Granted
Jul 16, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

An angular rotation sensor system constituted of: an input shaft target and an output shaft target each comprising a plurality of members parallel to a longitudinal axis of an input shaft or output shaft; a gear target with an angular velocity exhibiting a predetermined ratio with an angular velocity of the input shaft, the gear target comprising a plurality of members, each extending away from the input shaft and orthogonal to a plane which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the input shaft; and a control circuitry arranged to: determine an angular position of the input shaft responsive to a sensed angular rotation of the input shaft target and a sensed angular rotation of the gear target; and determine the amount of torque applied to the input shaft responsive to the sensed angular rotation of the input shaft target and a sensed angular rotation of the output shaft target.

Claims (62)

1. An angular rotation sensor system comprising:

an input shaft;

an output shaft;

a torsion bar coupled between said input shaft and said output shaft;

an input shaft target enclosing a first portion of said input shaft, said input shaft target comprising a plurality of input shaft target members, each of said plurality of input shaft target members exhibiting a face parallel to a longitudinal axis of said input shaft;

an output shaft target enclosing a portion of said output shaft, said output shaft target comprising a plurality of output shaft target members, each of said plurality of output shaft target members exhibiting a face parallel to a longitudinal axis of said output shaft;

a gear target, an angular velocity of said gear target exhibiting a predetermined ratio with an angular velocity of said input shaft, said gear target comprising a plurality of gear target members, each of said plurality of gear target members extending away from said input shaft and exhibiting a face orthogonal to a plane which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of said input shaft;

an input shaft target sensor arranged to sense an angular rotation of said input shaft target responsive to relative movement between said face of each of said plurality of input shaft target members and said input shaft target sensor;

an output shaft target sensor arranged to sense an angular rotation of said output shaft target responsive to relative movement between said face of each of said plurality of output shaft target members and said output shaft target sensor;

a gear target sensor arranged to sense an angular rotation of said gear target responsive to relative movement between said face of each of said plurality of gear target members and said gear target sensor; and

a control circuitry, said control circuitry arranged to:

determine an angular position of said input shaft responsive to said sensed angular rotation of said input shaft target and said sensed angular rotation of said gear target;

determine the amount of torque applied to said input shaft responsive to said sensed angular rotation of said input shaft target and said sensed angular rotation of said output shaft target; and

output said determined angular position and said determined torque amount of said input shaft.

2. The angular rotation sensor system of claim 1 , further comprising a printed circuit board (PCB), said input shaft target sensor, said output shaft target sensor and said gear target sensor disposed on said PCB, wherein said PCB defines a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of said input shaft.

3. The angular rotation sensor system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a first tooth gear enclosing a second portion of said input shaft, said first tooth gear exhibiting a first number of teeth; and

a second tooth gear exhibiting a second number of teeth, said teeth of said second tooth gear meshed with said teeth of said first tooth gear, said gear target coupled to said second tooth gear and arranged to rotate responsive to a rotation of said second tooth gear,

wherein said arrangement to determine the angular position of said input shaft is further responsive to the ratio of the first number of teeth to the second number of teeth.

4. The angular rotation sensor system of claim 3 , wherein said second tooth gear is perpendicular to said first tooth gear.

5. The angular rotation sensor system of claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of gear target members extends from a circular base, said parallel plane defined by said circular base.

6. An angular rotation sensor system comprising:

an input shaft target enclosing a first portion of an input shaft having a longitudinal axis, said input shaft target comprising a plurality of input shaft target members, each of said plurality of input shaft target members rotating about the longitudinal axis of said input shaft;

an output shaft target enclosing a portion of an output shaft having a longitudinal axis, said output shaft target comprising a plurality of output shaft target members, each of said plurality of output shaft target members rotating about the longitudinal axis of said output shaft;

a gear target, an angular velocity of said gear target exhibiting a predetermined ratio with an angular velocity of the input shaft, said gear target comprising a plurality of gear target members, each of said plurality of gear target members rotating about an axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of said input shaft;

an input shaft target sensor arranged to sense an angular rotation of said input shaft target responsive to relative movement between said face of each of said plurality of input shaft target members and said input shaft target sensor;

an output shaft target sensor arranged to sense an angular rotation of said output shaft target responsive to relative movement between said face of each of said plurality of output shaft target members and said output shaft target sensor;

a gear target sensor arranged to sense an angular rotation of said gear target responsive to relative movement between said face of each of said plurality of gear target members and said gear target sensor; and

a control circuitry, said control circuitry arranged to:

determine an angular position of the input shaft responsive to said sensed angular rotation of said input shaft target and said sensed angular rotation of said gear target;

determine the amount of torque applied to the input shaft responsive to said sensed angular rotation of said input shaft target and said sensed angular rotation of said output shaft target; and

output said determined angular position and said determined torque amount of said input shaft.

7. The angular rotation sensor system of claim 6 , further comprising a printed circuit board (PCB), said input shaft target sensor, said output shaft target sensor and said gear target sensor disposed on said PCB,

wherein said PCB defines a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of said input shaft.

8. The angular rotation sensor system of claim 6 , further comprising:

a first tooth gear enclosing a second portion of said input shaft, said first tooth gear exhibiting a first number of teeth; and

a second tooth gear exhibiting a second number of teeth, said teeth of said second tooth gear meshed with said teeth of said first tooth gear, said gear target coupled to said second tooth gear and arranged to rotate responsive to a rotation of said second tooth gear,

wherein said arrangement to determine the angular position of said input shaft is further responsive to the ratio of the first number of teeth to the second number of teeth, and wherein said second tooth gear is perpendicular to said first tooth gear.

9. The angular rotation sensor system of claim 6 , wherein each of said plurality of gear target members extend from a circular base, each of said plurality of gear target members having a rounded face that is substantially concentric to said circular base.

10. The angular rotation sensor system of claim 9 , wherein said circular base extends in a plane that is parallel to the center axis of said input shaft.

11. A method of sensing angular rotation, the method comprising:

providing an input shaft target enclosing a first portion of an input shaft;

providing an output shaft target enclosing a portion of an output shaft;

providing a gear target, an angular velocity of said gear target exhibiting a predetermined ratio with an angular velocity of the input shaft;

sensing an angular rotation of said input shaft target;

sensing an angular rotation of said output shaft target;

sensing an angular rotation of said gear target;

determining an angular position of said input shaft responsive to said sensed angular rotation of said input shaft target and said sensed angular rotation of said gear target;

determining the amount of torque applied to said input shaft responsive to said sensed angular rotation of said input shaft target and said sensed angular rotation of said output shaft target; and

outputting said determined angular position and said determined torque amount of said input shaft.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said provided input shaft target comprises a plurality of input shaft target members, each of said plurality of input shaft target members exhibiting a face parallel to a longitudinal axis of said input shaft.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein said sensing an angular rotation of said input shaft target is responsive to relative movement between said face of each of said plurality of input shaft target members and an input shaft target sensor.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said provided output shaft target comprises a plurality of output shaft target members, each of said plurality of output shaft target members exhibiting a face parallel to a longitudinal axis of said output shaft.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein said sensing an angular rotation of said output shaft target is responsive to relative movement between said face of each of said plurality of output shaft target members and an output shaft target sensor.

16. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said gear target comprises a plurality of gear target members, each of said plurality of gear target members extending away from the input shaft and exhibiting a face orthogonal to a plane which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the input shaft.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein said sensing an angular rotation of said gear target is responsive to relative movement between said face of each of said plurality of gear target members and a gear target sensor.

18. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said provided input shaft target comprises a plurality of input shaft target members, each of said plurality of input shaft target members exhibiting a face parallel to a longitudinal axis of said input shaft, and

wherein said sensing an angular rotation of said input shaft target is responsive to relative movement between said face of each of said plurality of input shaft target members and an input shaft target sensor.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein said output shaft target comprises a plurality of output shaft target members, each of said plurality of output shaft target members exhibiting a face parallel to a longitudinal axis of said output shaft, and

wherein said sensing an angular rotation of said output shaft target is responsive to relative movement between said face of each of said plurality of output shaft target members and an output shaft target sensor.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein said gear target comprises a plurality of gear target members, each of said plurality of gear target members extending away from the input shaft and exhibiting a face orthogonal to a plane which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the input shaft, and

wherein said sensing an angular rotation of said gear target is responsive to relative movement between said face of each of said plurality of gear target members and a gear target sensor.

Assignments (13)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 14, 2022
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 060894/0437 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 11, 2022
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059363/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 10, 2022
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059863/0400 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 9, 2022
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059358/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 25, 2022
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059333/0222 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 4, 2021
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 057935/0474 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 24, 2020
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 055671/0612 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC.; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 053468/0705 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 30, 2020
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC.; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 053466/0011 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 24, 2020
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC.; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 053311/0305 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 18, 2018
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 047103/0206 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 25, 2018
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 046426/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 3, 2017
From: WANG, SHIJU; JACKSON, TIMOTHY RONALD
To: MICROSEMI CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 043187/0885 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62367742 · Jul 28, 2016
Related Publication 20180031431A1 · Feb 1, 2018