An inductive angle sensor includes a stator component and a rotor component that is rotatable relative thereto about an axis of rotation. The rotor component has an inductive target with k-fold symmetry. The stator component has a first single pickup coil with k-fold symmetry and a second single pickup coil with the same k-fold symmetry. The first single pickup coil is rotated around the axis of rotation in relation to the second single pickup coil. The inductive target is stretched along a first axis that runs perpendicularly to the axis of rotation so that a contour outline, as seen in plan view, of the inductive target has an elliptical shape, and the first single pickup coil is stretched along a second axis that runs perpendicularly to the axis of rotation so that a contour outline, as seen in plan view, of the first single pickup coil has an elliptical shape.

A power tool including a motor and an impact mechanism. The impact mechanism is coupled to the motor and includes a hammer driven by the motor, and an anvil positioned at a nose of the power tool, and configured to receive an impact from the hammer. The power tool also includes a sensor assembly positioned at the nose of the power tool, and an electronic processor. The sensor assembly includes an output position sensor configured to generate an output signal indicative of a position of the hammer or the anvil. The electronic processor is coupled to the output position sensor and to the motor, and is configured to operate the motor based on the output signal from the output position sensor.

An inductive sensor (10) has a substrate (20), on which multiple transmitter/receiver coils (31, 32, 33) are arranged side by side. It can be operated in such a way that the transmitter/receiver coils (31, 32, 33) are each stimulated independently of one another at a frequency of more than 100 MHz.

An integrated circuit is provided for use in a sensor system having a plurality of sensing coils arranged in a star configuration coupled to terminals of an integrated circuit, such that a first and a second terminal are connected external to the integrated circuit via a loop including a first and a second sensing coil in the plurality of sensing coils. The integrated circuit includes: sensing circuitry for evaluation of sense signals received from the sensing coils via said terminals; a current source and a current sink coupled to respectively a first and a second of said terminals, such that upon supply of current from the current source a current is established through the loop external to the integrated circuit and a detection signal is generated; and an evaluator for evaluating one of more detection signals to detect failure and/or weakness within said loop.

Disclosed is a compact 3-axis coil design for a magnetic tracking system. In an embodiment, compactness is achieved by using a 3-axis coil in the transmitter that includes a scaffold design with a side surface having a curved groove for guiding one or more windings of a z-axis coil, such that the physical geometry is not increased.

A shaft monitoring system includes a rotatable shaft having a target element coupled thereto that rotates along with the shaft. A proximity sensor is located adjacent to the target element. The proximity sensor measures an inductance of the target element based on one or both of a volume of the target element and a distance between the target element and the proximity sensor, and generates a proximity sensor output signal based on the measured inductance. A signal processing system determines at least one of a position of the shaft, a rotational speed of the shaft, and a rotational direction of the shaft based on the proximity sensor output signal.

A tool includes a tool head with a utilization surface. The tool also includes a counter device responding to an impact applied to the utilization surface. The counter device has a memory, a microcontroller controlling operation of the counter device, an indicator, and an energizer connected to the microcontroller, which in response to the impact applied to the utilization surface, produces an electric current energizing the counter device to make a modification in the memory and provide information about the cumulative count of impacts in the memory via the indicator to a user.

A touch force sensor includes a reference resonant circuit, a first resonant circuit coupled to an inductive coil, a second resonant circuit connected to a touch electrode, and further includes a determination circuit configured to obtain a first resonant frequency attributable to a first inductance formed in an inductive coil and a first resonant circuit based on a displacement between a target and the inductive coil formed by an external force input in a Z-axis direction, the second resonant frequency of a second resonant circuit attributable to a capacitance varying depending on whether a finger comes into contact with the touch electrode, and information about a reference resonant frequency.

A rotor apparatus includes: a rotor rotatable around a rotational axis; an angular position identification layer disposed to surround the rotational axis and configured to rotate according to rotation of the rotor, and having a width varying with angular positions of the rotor; and an angular range identification layer disposed to surround the rotational axis, configured to rotate according to the rotation of the rotor, having a shape different from a shape of the angular position identification layer, and configured such that an overall width of a portion of the angular range identification layer corresponding to an angular position range, among a plurality of different angular position ranges of the rotor, in which an angular position corresponding to a point having the largest change in width of the angular position identification layer is located, is different from an overall width of a remaining portion of the angular range identification layer.

An electrodynamic position transducer has a casing in which a membrane is clamped, the membrane with a portion of the casing defining at least one chamber of variable volume, a coil having at least one conductive track formed on a coil support, and an interaction element configured to interact magnetically with the coil as a result of a movement of the membrane, in such a way that self-inductance of the coil is variable depending on a relative position of the interaction element with respect to the coil. A circuit, coupled to the coil, provides electrical signals, a parameter of the electrical signals being indicative of the self-inductance of the coil. A hole or recess is formed in the coil support and is configured to receive the interaction element in such a way that one end of the interaction element is positionable flush with or beyond a turn of the coil.