Position sensor, position sensor arrangement and method of operating the same by measuring the angular orientation of a local magnetic field vector

Abstract

A position sensor, a position sensor arrangement and a method of operating the position sensor and position sensor arrangement is described, working on the basis of magnetic field sensing sensors maximizing reliability against defects and external interference signals and providing redundancy, in particular for shift-by-wire systems in automobiles. The invention includes various aspects and preferred embodiments including individual sensors that can either only measure the direction of the magnetic field or in addition to that the absolute value of the magnetic field. The specific embodiments depend on the desired diagnostic options, redundancy and compensation capabilities both as to interfering magnetic fields and sensor failures or non-plausible output signals of individual sensors. An evaluation unit can be provided for compensating measurement deviations. Goals are to make the position sensor compact in size, cost effective, maximize reliability against defects and external interference signals, have diagnostic ability and provide redundancy.