Analog angle encoder having a single piece magnet assembly surrounding an air gap

摘要

An analog angle encoder having a simply constructed magnet assembly, wherein rotation of a magnetic field relative to a magnetosensitive device provides a varying output of the magnetosensitive device that varies sinusoidally with the angle of relative rotation. The simply constructed magnet assembly is of a closed-path geometry composed of a single piece of magnetic material wherein only a first portion thereof is magnetized for providing the aforesaid magnetic field for the sensor. The remaining portion of the magnet material (the second portion) remains unmagnetized and does not substantially influence the magnetic field produced by the first portion any more than, for example, air would cause.