Eldec Corporation

John Marler

Jeff Lamping

Kevin G Woolsey

Bernie Burreson

Steve Knudson

A core of a proximity sensor is made of a highly permeable metal and is shaped and sized to operate as a saturable core proximity sensor, a variable reluctance proximity sensor, and an eddy current proximity sensor. The core has a cross-sectional shape including a head portion, two legs extending from the head portion, and two foot portions (feet) extending from the two legs. The head portion forms a substantially planar section along the upper surface and is perpendicular to the sectional direction created by the two legs. The sectional direction of the two legs are perpendicular to the sectional direction of the two feet. The two feet are in a common plane along the bottom surface. Both foot portions are also parallel to the head portion. The cross-sectional shape of the core may further comprises two tail portions (tails), wherein each tail extends from one of the two foot portions in a direction toward the upper surface.

Inductive proximity sensor for detecting ferromagnetic, non-permeable or magnet targets

An omega-shaped core is wrapped with two coils arranged to be responsive to magnetic permeable metal and conductive metal objects. The omega core allows the proximity sensor to operate as a saturated core sensor, a variable reluctance sensor or an eddy current loss sensor. The core is made from a thin, highly permeable metal that is preferably formed from a single piece of sheet metal, and comprises a substantially flat, rectangular member bent in four locations to form a head portion, two legs, and two feet. The bends form right angles so that the head portion is perpendicular to the two legs, and the two legs are perpendicular to the two feet. The two feet are parallel to each other and also parallel to the head portion. The core is positioned in a housing with two inductive coils, each coil being positioned around a leg portion of the core. A calibration bolt can be placed through the center of the core to change the level of inductance measured from the two inductive coils.

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Woodinville, WA, United States of America

John Marler