Echlin, Inc.

Other

U.S. Philips Corporation

Philips Electronics North America Corporation

Siemens Vdo Automotive Corporation

Mannesmann Vdo Ag

The Echlin Manufacturing Company

John E Opie

David C Casali

Solomon Fridman

Brian David Kilmartin

John R Wiegand

Carroll D Sloan

Brian Kilmartin

John R Wiegand, Deceased

A magnetoelastic torque sensor for measuring the magnitude of torque applied to a member, comprising a magnetoelastic element which is disposed on and encircles the member, an outer flux guide extending across the magnetoelastic element in an axial direction and adjacent to the opposite end regions thereof, and an inner flux guide located between the first and second end regions, wherein the inner and outer flux guides provides a magnetic path to an axial component of the magnetic field produced by the magnetoelastic element in response to a non-zero value of torque. The inner flux guide is formed by cutting or etching an amorphous metal foil in a flat annular configuration with symmetrically projecting coil core tabs. The one-piece inner flux guide is supported by a support assembly comprising base and cover pieces. When assembled, the coil core tabs are sandwiched between two complementary semi-cylindrical mandrel portions projecting from the cover and base pieces, around which sense coil wires are wound. An electronic detector is coupled to the coil wires to measure the strength of the axial component of the magnetic field emanating from the magnetoelastic element as torque is applied to the member.

Magnetoelastic torque sensor

A Hall effect sensor and capacitor assembly includes leadless chip type capacitors employed as EMI shielding/ESD protection and bypass capacitors. In a first embodiment, a molded carrier structure provides a housing for mounting a Hall cell element as well as one or more EMI shielding or bypass capacitors. The carrier housing facilitates interconnection of the Hall cell and the chip capacitor. Additionally, this structure simplifies the manufacturing process for connection of the smaller leadless chip capacitor components. In an alternate embodiment, an insulated, molded encapsulation is applied and surrounds the chip capacitors and the connections to the Hall effect sensor leads.

Hall effect sensor assembly with cavities for integrated capacitors

A circuit assembly is made by overmolding, with an electrically insulating material, a unitary framework of electrically conductive material forming coplanar conductors which are connected to each other by an integral structural member. The overmolded material secures the conductors relative to each other and enables portions of the structural member to be severed, electrically isolating the conductors from each other. The overmolded material also positions electrical components having leads that are electrically connected to the conductors. Ends of the conductors are formed into terminals which extend out of a hinge formed in the overmolded material. The hinge enables the terminals to be oriented in a different plane than the conductors.

Hinged circuit assembly with multi-conductor framework

A pulse generator employs a Wiegand wire module within two soft iron ferro-magnetic elements. Four magnets having appropriate polarities are positioned on faces of the ferro-magnetic elements to provide first and second magnetic circuits. The flux in these two magnetic circuits is collected, conducted and guided by the ferro-magnetic elements toward an air gap between the two guide elements. The center portion of the Wiegand wire is at the air gap. Cylindrical cavities in these two guide elements shield the ends of the Wiegand wire to minimize the incidence of external flux from the Wiegand wire. Saturation of the flux at the air gap between the two guide elements causes leakage flux to be incident on the Wiegand wire. The two magnetic circuits created by the magnets are approximately equal in magnitude and opposite in direction at the Wiegand wire. As a consequence, in the normal state, these two magnetic circuits do not affect the state of the Wiegand wire. When a soft iron ferro-magnetic shunt is brought adjacent to the two magnets which determine a first one of the magnetic circuits, an increase of flux in that first magnetic circuit switches the state of the Wiegand wire to a first switched state. When the shunt element is moved adjacent to the other two magnets, the flux from the second circuit increases to switch the Wiegand wire to a second switched state opposite to the first switched state.

Shunt activated pulse generator

A pulse generating unit in which a Wiegand wire module is contained within two soft iron ferromagnetic members which act as shunts in that they collect, conduct and guide flux incident on the pulse generating unit toward an air gap between the two shunt elements. the air gap is approximately at the center of the Wiegand wire module. Cylindrical cavities in these two shunt elements shield the ends of the Wiegand wire thereby minimizing the incidence of external flux on the Wiegand wire. Saturation of the flux at the air gap between the two shunts causes leakage of flux to be available to switch the state of the Wiegand wire.

Pulse generator with shielded Wiegand wire

A read head for a Wiegand wire has an E-core with a pick-up coil for the '1' bit wound on one outer leg and a separate pick-up coil for the '0' bit wound on a second outer leg. The E-core is composed of a relatively thin ferromagnetic E-laminae spaced from a relatively thick E-laminae. Between thin and thick laminae in each leg there is an appropriately polarized magnet. The result is to establish a first field across the face of the read head between the center leg and a first outer leg. This first field reads the one bits. Similarly, a second field between the center leg and the other outer leg reads the zero bits. Each one bit wire is on one side of the code strip and each zero bit wire is on the other side of the code strip so that the one bit and zero bit wires are passed respectively across the first and second reading fields provided by the read head. Saturation of the thin E-laminae and non-saturation of the thick E-laminae assures that the field configuration is appropriate to set and switch the Wiegand wires.

Read head for Wiegand wire

A Wiegand wire module is excited by a non-uniform field, which may vary in time either symmetrically or asymmetrically, to provide a switch in state of the Wiegand wire thereby inducing a pulse in the pickup coil of the module. The non-uniform field has a maximum value in an axial direction at a center portion of the wire and a minimum value in an axial direction at end portions of the wire. As the amplitude of the field is varied to switch the wire, the end portions of the wire remain in a field having a low axial magnitude. The result is an output pulse substantially greater than obtained through symmetric exitation using a uniform field.

Growing community of inventors

Stony Creek, CT, United States of America

John E Opie