The present subject matter relates to devices, systems, and methods for identifying the position of a movable component. A position sensor system is provided in which a Hall effect sensor is coupled to a fixed housing, and a plurality of magnets is coupled to a movable component that is movable to a sensing position at which the plurality of magnets is proximal to the Hall effect sensor. In this configuration, the plurality of magnets is arranged to produce an aggregate magnetic field having a flux concentration directed toward the Hall effect sensor when the plurality of magnets is in the sensing position.

A method of determining a configuration of a measurement volume, the method may include: generating, by at least one transmitter, a transmitted magnetic field within the measurement volume; measuring, by at least one receiver positioned, a total magnetic field in the measurement volume at at least one receiver position and generating at least one receiver output signal; generating, by a processing unit, a measured dataset; comparing, by the processing unit, the measured dataset with at least one of at least two reference configuration datasets each for determined for one of at least two different configurations of the measurement volume; and identifying, by the processing unit, a reference configuration dataset of the at least two reference configuration datasets that corresponds to the measured dataset.

A method of determining a configuration of a measurement volume, the method may include: generating, by at least one transmitter, a transmitted magnetic field within the measurement volume; measuring, by at least one receiver positioned, a total magnetic field in the measurement volume at at least one receiver position and generating at least one receiver output signal; generating, by a processing unit, a measured dataset; comparing, by the processing unit, the measured dataset with at least one of at least two reference configuration datasets each for determined for one of at least two different configurations of the measurement volume; and identifying, by the processing unit, a reference configuration dataset of the at least two reference configuration datasets that corresponds to the measured dataset.

A detecting unit outputs a first output value varying with a rotation angle of a rotary body in a first cycle and outputs a second output value varying with the rotation angle in a second cycle. The variation in the second output value is different from the variation in the first output value in a positive/negative sign. A magnitude relationship between the first output value and the second output value changes with variation in the rotation angle at rotation angles during the first cycle. A selector unit selects, from the first output value and the second output value, a value of at least a minimum value and a maximum value of the first output values corresponding to the rotation angles. A computing unit computes, on the basis of the selected value, a value related to the rotation angle.

A sensor system and method use channel information to generate redundant angle measurements for sensing rotation of magnets about a given axis of rotation. It was observed that magnetic field strength on a circle, centered on the axis of rotation but in a plane perpendicular to it, have a component parallel to the axis that varies sinusoidally as a function of the angle around the circle. By placing magnetic field sensors equiangularly around such a circle, and summing their field strengths with appropriate weights, the angle of magnet rotation may be computed in a manner that is immune to the presence of stray fields. Moreover, fewer than all channels of sense data may be combined to form redundant estimates of the angle of rotation, to permit continued operation when one of the sensors has failed.

A knob assembly includes a front panel, a knob located at a front side of the front panel and configured to rotate based on operation by a user, a knob shaft that is coupled to the knob and that extends through the front panel, a supporting pipe that receives the knob shaft and that supports the knob shaft, the supporting pipe being configured to maintain a position relative to the front panel, a valve configured to control supply of gas to the appliance, a valve shaft connected to the valve and configured to control the valve to adjust a flow rate of gas based on rotation of the valve shaft, and a joint that couples the knob shaft to the valve shaft and that is configured to transfer at least one of a rotational motion or a linear motion of the knob shaft to the valve shaft.

A sensor assembly comprising a holder body and a housed semiconductor sensor element situated on the holder body for rotational speed measurement and/or position measurement, a cured enveloping material that covers the housed semiconductor sensor element completely being situated on the holder body. It is provided that the housed semiconductor sensor element is glued onto a mounting surface of the holder body using an adhesive that differs from the enveloping material, and that the adhesive is situated in a receiving space between the mounting surface and a bottom side of the housed semiconductor sensor element that is facing the mounting surface.

A system includes a substrate, a first and a second magnetic field sensor, and a computing device communicatively coupled to the first and second magnetic field sensors. The substrate has a surface encoded with a magnetic pattern sequenced along a direction of movement of the substrate. The magnetic pattern includes a data pattern that indicates a position of the substrate along the direction of movement and a clock pattern interleaved and substantially colinear with the data pattern that indicates a plurality of clock transitions. The computing device is configured to receive, from the first and second magnetic field sensors positioned above the magnetic pattern, a plurality of magnetic field signals detected from the magnetic pattern. The computing device is configured to determine, based on the plurality of magnetic field signals, the position of the substrate and output the position of the substrate.

A system includes a substrate, a first and a second magnetic field sensor, and a computing device communicatively coupled to the first and second magnetic field sensors. The substrate has a surface encoded with a magnetic pattern sequenced along a direction of movement of the substrate. The magnetic pattern includes a data pattern that indicates a position of the substrate along the direction of movement and a clock pattern interleaved and substantially colinear with the data pattern that indicates a plurality of clock transitions. The computing device is configured to receive, from the first and second magnetic field sensors positioned above the magnetic pattern, a plurality of magnetic field signals detected from the magnetic pattern. The computing device is configured to determine, based on the plurality of magnetic field signals, the position of the substrate and output the position of the substrate.

An alignment device may obtain a set of analog-to-digital converter (ADC) signals provided by an angle sensor operating in a homogeneous test mode. The set of ADC signals may be associated with a rotation of a target magnet relative to the angle sensor. The alignment device may identify a maximum ADC signal value based on the set of ADC signals. The alignment device may selectively position, by the alignment device, at least one of the angle sensor or the target magnet based on the maximum ADC signal value.