Patent ID: 8692544

Claim:
A sensor assembly for sensing the position of a movable object, comprising: a housing defining an interior cavity; a sensor located in the housing; a rotor located in the cavity, the rotor defining a longitudinal axis, the sensor being located in the housing in a horizontally spaced and off-axis relationship relative to the longitudinal axis of the rotor; a magnet located on the rotor, the magnet including at least a first straight side surface and the magnet generating a magnetic field extending through and in a direction generally normal to the first straight side surface of the magnet irrespective of the position of the magnet, the magnet being located on the rotor in a horizontally spaced and off-axis relationship relative to the longitudinal axis of the rotor and the magnet and the rotor being located in in a vertically overlying and spaced relationship relative to each other; and the magnet and the sensor being movable relative to each other and the sensor being adapted to sense the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field and generate an electrical signal in response to the magnetic field sensed by the sensor.