Patent ID: 9234736
Filing Date: 2016-01-12
CPC Classification: G01B,G01D,G01R

Claim Text:
1. A sensor assembly for determining a spatial position of a first part relative to a second part, comprising: at least one magnet disposed on the first part and designed for generating a magnetic field that extends to the second part, said magnetic field having a plurality of directions depending on a position relative to the at least one magnet, a first, a second, a third and fourth magnetic field sensor each arranged on the second part and each designed to produce an output signal essentially varying as a function of the direction of the magnetic field at the location of the respective magnetic field sensor, a signal generator designed for determining a first and second sensor signal by combining the output signals from the first, second, third and fourth magnetic field sensors, wherein the first and the second magnetic field sensors are arranged at a first spatial distance from one another and form a first pair of magnetic field sensors, said first spatial distance defining a first interval and a first measurement axis transverse to said first interval, wherein the third and the fourth magnetic field sensors are arranged at a second spatial distance from one another and form a second pair of magnetic field sensors, said second spatial distance defining a second interval and a second measurement axis transverse to said second interval, wherein the at least one magnet is positioned in said first and second intervals, wherein the first and second measurement axes are substantially orthogonal with respect to each other, wherein the first sensor signal varies as a function of a spatial position of the first part relative to the second part along the first measurement axis and the second sensor signal varies as a function of the spatial position of the first part relative to the second part along the second measurement axis, wherein the signal generator comprises an adder which adds the output signals of the magnetic field sensors of at least one pair in order to determine at least one from the first and second sensor signals, and wherein the signal generator further comprises a subtractor which forms a difference between the output signals of the magnetic field sensors of at least one pair in order to determine a further sensor signal representative of a rotational position of the first part relative to the second part about a further axis transvers to the first and second measurement axes.