Linear position sensor

摘要

In general, the disclosure is directed to techniques for determining the position of a piston within a linear actuator, such as a hydraulic cylinder, in a more cost effective and less labor-intensive fashion compared to current techniques for determining the position of a piston within a linear actuator. One or more magnets may be operably coupled to the piston, and a linear array of sensors may be disposed along an exterior length of the linear actuator. The sensors may measure the magnetic field generated by the magnet and, based on the measured magnetic field, may determine the location of the piston within the linear actuator.

主权项

1. An apparatus comprising:
a housing; a piston including first and second end surfaces, wherein the piston is cylindrical, wherein the piston is disposed within the housing, and wherein the piston is operable to move reciprocally within the housing; one or more magnets operably coupled to the piston, wherein the one or more magnets are disposed radial or tangential to the circumference of a first end surface or a second end surface of the piston; a plurality of sensors disposed on an exterior of the housing and configured to sense a magnetic field produced by the one or more magnets to determine a position of the piston within the housing; and a calibration module configured to calibrate the plurality of sensors to produce normalized output from the plurality of sensors, wherein to normalize output of the plurality of sensors, each sensor's output is scaled based on an actual minimum value and an actual maximum value output by each sensor.