Patent ID: 8397883

Claim:
A controllable brake comprising: a housing comprising a first chamber and a second chamber, a shaft, the shaft extending through the first chamber and the second chamber with an axis of rotation, said shaft having a first shaft end, a controllable brake rotor made integral with the shaft, said rotor housed in the first chamber, a controllable brake magnetic field generator located in the first chamber proximate the controllable brake rotor, said controllable brake magnetic field generator for generating a controllable magnetic field strength, and, a controllable brake rotating magnetic target integral with said shaft proximate said first shaft end, said controllable brake rotating magnetic target housed in the second chamber, and a controllable brake electronics circuit board mounted in said second chamber, said controllable brake electronics circuit board having a control board plane, said control board plane oriented normal to said axis of rotation, a first electronic noncontacting magnetic sensor having a first sensor plane, said first electronic noncontacting magnetic sensor integrated on said controllable brake electronics circuit board with said first sensor plane parallel with said control board plane, a second electronic noncontacting magnetic sensor having a second sensor plane, said second electronic noncontacting magnetic sensor integrated on said controllable brake electronics circuit board with said second sensor plane parallel with said control board plane with said control board plane between said first sensor plane and said second sensor plane, said first electronic noncontacting magnetic sensor and said second electronic noncontacting magnetic sensor monitoring the rotation of said controllable brake rotating magnetic target and outputting a rotational position of said controllable brake rotating magnetic target wherein the controllable magnetic field strength generated by said controllable brake magnetic field generator is determined by said rotational position to control a relative motion of said controllable brake rotor.