A sensor system and a joystick including the sensor system. The sensor system comprises a magnetic field sensor, and first and second magnetic sources. The first magnetic source is rotatable relative to a sensitive surface of the sensor and generates a first magnetic field contribution of at least quadrupolar order. The second magnetic source is pivotable with respect to the sensitive surface and generates a second magnetic field contribution. The sensor is configured for detecting at least an in-plane component of a superimposition field of the first and second magnetic contributions at a plurality of lateral measurement locations on the sensitive surface, obtaining measurements, and determining a rotation angle for the first source from the field gradient measurements and two angular directions for the second source from the field mean measurements. Lateral measurement locations are arranged into two pairs of diametrically opposite measurement locations with respect to the sensitive surface.

A position detecting device for a rotary shaft is provided. The position detecting device for a rotary shaft comprises a shaft, a coding element and a detecting element. The coding element comprises a body, a first coding unit and a second coding unit wherein the body is disposed on the shaft and coaxial to the shaft, and the first coding unit and the second coding unit are configured on the body. The first coding unit comprises a plurality of first tracks in an annular arrangement. The detecting element is disposed on an additional part and corresponding to the coding element for retrieving the signal of the first coding unit and the second coding unit.

A magnetic encoder has an annular main body and a magnetic encoding unit. The main body is made of material with magnetic permeability, surrounds a central axis, and includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to said first surface. The magnetic encoding unit is disposed on one of the first surface and the second surface of the main body, and includes a plurality of first and second magnetic poles, each of which is annular and is centered at the central axis. The first and second magnetic poles are arranged in an alternating sequence.

Disclosed herein are an elastic encoder and manufacturing method thereof. The elastic encoder of the present invention includes a reinforcing rim which has a reinforcing body and a reinforcing flange formed along a peripheral part of the reinforcing body and which is manufactured using a metallic material; and a plastic magnet which is bound to the reinforcing flange so as to surround the reinforcing flange, includes synthetic resin, rubber material, and magnetic powder, and has a plurality of magnetic poles magnetized in a circumferential direction.

The invention relates to a sensor device and method for detecting measurement data relating to the absolute position of a linearly or rotationally moveable body, comprising an optical sensor system, wherein the optical sensor system uses exclusively zero-order rejections for the position measuring, and a magnetic sensor system which emits a second sensor output signal depending on the position to be determined of the moveable body, wherein the gauge of the optical sensor system and the gauge of the magnetic sensor system are integrated in a common gauge body, and a computer unit which is provided to obtain the first sensor output signal and the second sensor output signal and to generate a common sensor output signal from the first sensor output signal and the second sensor output signal, wherein the current period of the second sensor system can be deduced from the first sensor output signal at every time, in order to calculate clear absolute position information based on the first and second sensor output signal.

Apparatus and methods for manufacturing magnets, and magnets, having magnetically oriented grains, and apparatus including such magnets. The field of a permanent magnet may be shaped by applying an external field to the material from which the magnet is made in such a way as to magnetize different regions of the material in different directions. The apparatus may include, and the methods may involve, a metal-powder press that may press metal powder in the presence of a magnetic field. The press may compress the powder in an axial direction. The field may have flux lines that are transverse to the axial direction. The field may have flux lines that are along the axial direction.

A magnetic encoder in which a support member and a plastic magnet do not adhere to each other is manufactured using a mold. The plastic magnet has a turning molded portion on the outer circumferential side thereof. The gate of the mold is an inner-diameter-side disk gate and a length L thereof in the axial direction is in a range of 0.2 mmL0.6 mm. The tensile strength of the material of the plastic magnet is 65 MPa or more and the Young's modulus thereof is 4000 MPa or more and 15000 MPa or less. The method includes a step of opening the mold and placing the support member as an insert object in the mold, and a step of closing the mold and injecting a melted material of the plastic magnet into a cavity through the disk gate.

A method for manufacturing a magnetic field sensor chip with an integrated back-bias magnet is described. A substrate with a first substrate surface and an opposite second substrate surface is provided, wherein at least one magnetic field sensor is arranged in a first substrate surface. A cavity is structured into the second substrate surface. The method involves generating the integrated back-bias magnet within the first cavity by introducing loose powder comprising a magnetic material into the first cavity and agglomerating the powder to a mechanically firm magnetic body structure by means of atomic layer deposition. According to the method, the step of generating the back-bias magnet is carried out temporally after the step of arranging the magnetic field sensor.

The invention relates to a belt retractor comprising a signal transmitter ring (6) for a magnetic sensor (34), comprising a hub (14) which is connected to the belt reel in a rotationally fixed manner and comprising a signal transmitter portion (20) exhibiting periodically varying material properties when viewed in the circumferential direction, wherein the signal transmitter portion includes a stop (30) by which it abuts against a contact surface (32) associated therewith, and comprising a spring portion (18) acting on the signal transmitter portion relative to the hub so that the stop abuts against the contact surface.

A sensor system comprises a magnetic field generator and a sensor device arranged at a distance from said magnetic field generator and adapted for measuring or determining at least one magnetic field component and/or at least one magnetic field gradient component. The magnetic field generator comprises a multi-pole magnet having a number N of pole pairs that are axially magnetized to generate an N-pole magnetic field that is substantially rotationally symmetric around an axis. The magnet comprises a plurality of grooves and/or elongate protrusions that are arranged in a rotationally symmetric pattern around the axis to provide a substantially constant magnetic field gradient in a central region around said axis.