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:
Sep. 03, 2002
Filed:
Sep. 15, 2000
Yingjie Lin, El Paso, TX (US);
Warren Baxter Nicholson, El Paso, TX (US);
Steven Douglas Thomson, El Paso, TX (US);
Delphi Technologies, Inc., Troy, MI (US);
Abstract
A steering column differential angle position sensor includes an upper target wheel and a lower target wheel. Each target wheel forms a plurality of similarly shaped slots that are equally spaced radially around the target wheels. Two receiver coils and a excitation coil are coaxially aligned with the target wheels. A hollow housing surrounds the target wheels and the coils. The excitation coil generates an alternating current magnetic field around itself, and this alternating current magnetic field generates eddy current in the target wheels. The receiver coils receive an alternating current signal that is a combination of the alternating current magnetic field generated by the excitation coil and the eddy current. The receiver coils sense changes in the alternating current signal due to differential slot alignment of the target wheels, and hence, the torque on a steering column that is mechanically coupled to the sensor.