Rod position detection apparatus and method

摘要

An improved apparatus for determining the position of a drive rod within the interior of a drive rod housing includes a transmission antenna at one location on the housing and a receiving antenna at another location on the housing. An electromagnetic excitation signal sent to the transmission antenna is detected, at least in part, by the receiving antenna, and the received signal is processed with a vector network analyzer routine to model the drive rod housing as a wave guide having a filter response. A group delay is detected and is compared with a calibration data set which provides a current position of the drive rod that corresponds with the group delay.

主权项

1. A method of determining a current position of a rod that is movable within at least a portion of a passageway, the method comprising:
transmitting an electromagnetic signal at a first location along the passageway; detecting as an input at least a portion of the electromagnetic signal at a second location along the passageway; determining a group delay of at least a portion of the input; and employing the group delay in conjunction with a calibration data set in determining a current position of the rod that corresponds with the group delay.