Patent ID: 6467338
Filing Date: 2002-10-22
Classification: G01D

Abstract:
A position sensor for a motor vehicle comprising a PWM generator, which generates, as a sensor signal, a pulse-width modulated signal that varies as a function of a position to be measured in response to digitalized measured values, wherein a total position measuring range of the position sensor is subdivided into multiple, similar, sequentially-adjacent measuring sub-ranges, wherein in each sub-range the position sensor creates said digitalized measured values indicative of positions to be measured, wherein if the digitalized measured values were fed directly to the PWM generator without modification the PWM generator would convert the digitalized measured values to a PWM signal percentage modulated in only a portion of an entire percentage modulation range of 0 to 100%, said portion being near one of 0 and 100% modulation, but wherein the position sensor adds a fixed offset value to the digitalized measured values and then feeds the sum of the digitalized measured values and fixed offset value to said PWM generator so that said PWM generator converts the sum of the digitalized measured values and fixed offset value to a PWM signal such that the sum of a minimum possible digitalized measured value and the offset value converts to a pulse-width with a minimum percentage modulation that is substantially greater than 0%, and the sum of the maximum possible digitalized measured value and the offset value converts to a pulse-width with a maximum percentage modulation that is substantially less than 100%.