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:
May. 08, 2001
Filed:
Dec. 03, 1998
David J. Dlugos, Beacon Falls, CT (US);
HID Corporation, Irvine, CA (US);
Abstract
A tilt sensor utilizes the “Wiegand Effect” to sense the occurrence of a tilting of the sensor from one inclined position to a horizontal position to another inclined position. The tilt sensor includes within a plastic or other non-magnetic body a non-magnetic elongated tube, a magnet that is contained and substantially freely slidable within the elongated tube, and a Wiegand wire that extends along and that is adjacent to the elongated tube. The tilt sensor also generally includes a coil wound on the Wiegand wire and a pole piece that extends along and that is adjacent to the elongated tube through which the Wiegand wire extends, and the pole piece is made of a material through which a magnetic flux path can be created. In operation, as the tilt sensor is moved from one inclined position to another inclined position, the magnet within the elongated tube slides from one end of the tube to the other. As the magnet slides, the direction of the magnetic flux flowing through the Wiegand wire changes direction resulting in the generation of a Wiegand pulse on the coil. The occurrence of a pulse on the coil represents the tilt that is sensed by the sensor.