The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 17, 2001
Filed:
Dec. 21, 1998
Applicant:
Inventors:
Kent C. Bates, Chillicothe, IL (US);
Igor Strashny, Peoria, IL (US);
Assignee:
Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL (US);
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G01B 7/14 ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
G01B 7/14 ;
Abstract
The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for determining the position of a first element relative to a second element. The apparatus includes a magnet being attached to the first element. First and second sensing devices are adapted to detect a magnetic flux density produced by the magnet and responsively generating first and second signals. The apparatus also includes a controller for receiving the first and second signals and responsively determining the position of the first element relative to the second. The present invention enables continuous calibration during the normal operation of the machine.