Patent ID: 7384359

Claim:
An axle assembly comprising: a housing; a first shaft rotatably positioned in the housing; a second shaft rotatably positioned in the housing; a power transfer mechanism positioned in the housing, the power transfer mechanism selectively transmitting rotary power between the first shaft and the second shaft, the power transfer mechanism having a linearly moveable member, the position of the linearly moveable member being indicative of an operating state of the power transfer mechanism; a permanent magnet mounted to one of the moveable member and the housing and a Hall effect sensor being mounted to the other of the moveable member and the housing, wherein the sensor is exposed to a changing magnetic field density as the magnet and sensor move relative to one another; an actuator being operable to move the linearly moveable member to cause or interrupt power transmission between the first shaft and the second shaft; and a sensor circuit positioned within the housing and operable to output a signal having a frequency that varies in accordance with the position of the linearly moveable member.