Patent ID: 8169214

Claim:
An angular position sensor, comprising: a circular sensor board including a stationary circular array of a plurality of Hall sensors, each having a radius and centered about an axis, equidistantly distributed about a periphery of said circular sensor board in 5 degree increments, wherein each of said plurality of Hall sensors is configured for generating an analog signal as a function of its proximity to a magnet; a circular target plate including a rotatable array of a plurality of magnet positions centered about said axis and spaced apart from said stationary circular array, equidistantly distributed about a periphery of said circular target plate in 20 degree increments, wherein said plurality of Hall sensors exceeds said plurality of magnet positions, two of said plurality of magnet positions being devoid of magnets and spaced 180° relative to one another, and the remaining magnet positions of said plurality of magnet positions being occupied by magnets that are arranged in alternating North-South polarity sequence, whereby said two of said plurality of magnet positions devoid of magnets separate the magnets occupying the magnet positions on either side of said magnet positions devoid of magnets by 40 degree increments; and a processor configured to relate signals simultaneously generated by said plurality of Hall sensors to an angular position of said rotatable array relative to said stationary circular array based upon a Fourier transform.