Patent ID: 7589523

Claim:
A magnetic sensor for determining positions (A, B, C, D) of an activation magnet ( 2 ) along a monitored distance ( 6 ) with at least two sensor elements ( 8 , 10 ) wherein the sensor elements ( 8 , 10 ) are arranged along the monitored distance and are separated by a spacing ( 12 ), each of which is subjected to at least a component of a magnetic field of the activation magnet ( 2 ), and an evaluation unit ( 14 ) operatively coupled with the sensor elements ( 8 , 10 ) for generating a switching signal ( 18 ) corresponding to at least one desired magnet position (A, B, C, D), each sensor element ( 8 , 10 ) being operative over the entire monitored distance ( 6 ), the spacing between the sensor elements ( 8 , 10 ) being independent of the length of the monitored distance and shorter than the monitored distance ( 6 ), and for any desired magnet position (A, B, C, D) there is provided an unambiguous group of values ( 20 , 20 ′) for generating the switching signal with the evaluation unit which generates an unambiguous positioning signal.