Embodiments relate to a position sensor comprising a magnetic target. The magnetic target includes a magnetic multipole configured to generate a magnetic field. The magnetic field has three mutually-perpendicular components at a first region. Sensor elements can be configured to measure these field components at the first region. In embodiments, comparing the amplitudes of the components can be used to determine a global position, and the instantaneous values of these components can be used to determine a local position.

Methods and systems for measuring an axial position of a rotating component of an engine are described herein. The method comprises obtaining a signal from a sensor coupled to the rotating component, the rotating component having a plurality of position markers distributed about a surface thereof, the position markers having an axially varying characteristic configured to cause a change in a varying parameter of the signal as a function of the axial position of the rotating component. Based on the signal, the method comprises determining a rotational speed of the rotating component from the signal, determining the varying parameter of the signal, and finding the axial position of the rotating component based on a known relationship between the axial position, the rotational speed, and the varying parameter of the signal.

A method of determining an angle by an encoder includes generating a first angle data based on a rotation of a bipolar magnet and a second angle data based on a rotation of the multipolar magnet; determining a first waveform signal based on the first angle data and a second waveform signal based on the second angle data; converting the first waveform signal into a third waveform signal having a cycle similar to the second waveform signal; calculating an angle result value as a function of the second angle data and a determined value about a location of a rotation cycle of the multipolar magnet based on a difference between the second waveform signal and the third waveform signal; and determining an absolute angle corresponding to the calculated angle result value based on stored angle data.

A temperature sensing system can include first and second temperature sensing circuits and a digitizing encoder. The first and second temperature sensing circuits can include respective devices with semiconductor junction areas. Temperature information can be determined from one or more characteristic signals measured from the temperature sensing circuits. A feedback circuit can be configured to provide one or more offset signals to the digitizing encoder. The one or more offset signals can correspond to components or characteristics of the first and second temperature sensing circuits. In an example, at least one of the first and second temperature sensing circuits can include an adjustable load circuit for use with the other of the first and second temperature sensing circuits.

A sensor device is provided with a magnetic field sensitive element being positioned in a magnetic field of a magnet. The magnetic field sensitive element is configured to sense an orientation angle of the magnetic field in the range between 0° and 360° and generate a sensing signal. The electronic circuitry is configured to receive and process the sensing signal from the magnetic field sensitive element to generate an angle signal indicating the orientation angle of the magnetic field and an angular speed of the shaft.

A Hall sensor has a Hall sensor element, which has multiple connection points spaced apart from one another. A supply source serves for feeding an exciter current into the Hall sensor element and is connected to a first and a second connection point of the Hall sensor element. The Hall sensor has a first and a second comparison device. The first comparison device has a first input connected to a third connection point of the Hall sensor element, a second input connected to a reference signal generator for an upper reference value signal, and an output for a first comparison signal. The second comparison device has a third input connected to the third connection point, a fourth input connected to a reference signal generator for a lower reference value signal, and an output for a second comparison signal. The outputs are connected to an evaluation device for generating an error signal as a function of the first and second comparison signal.

A method for calculating a position or an angle of an inspection target based on a sine wave signal and a cosine wave signal output from an encoder or a laser interferometer, includes acquiring a temporary movement speed of the inspection target, calculating an amplitude correction value corresponding to the temporary movement speed using information representing a relationship between a movement speed of the inspection target and amplitudes of the sine wave signal and the cosine wave signal acquired in advance, correcting the amplitudes of the sine wave signal and the cosine wave signal using the amplitude correction value, and calculating an offset error in a Lissajous waveform using the sine wave signal and the cosine wave signal the amplitudes of which are corrected with the amplitude correction value and calculating the position or the angle of the inspection target using the offset error.

Systems and methods for determining angular position in rotating machines. A repeating sequence of segments are arranged in a track disposed at a diameter around a shaft of a rotor that rotates about an axis. A sensor is positioned to face the track and is fixed relative to the stator. The track and the sensor face to each other, which may be in directions that are parallel to the axis. The sensor generates an output that is decoupled from the diameter of the track and is related to the repeating sequence of segments.

A system is provided with a magnetic field sensor being positioned in a magnetic field of a magnet that is coupled to a rotatable driving shaft. The magnetic field sensor is configured to sense a rotation of the magnetic field in response to a rotation of the rotatable driving shaft, and generate an angle sensor signal based on an orientation angle of the magnetic field. The angle sensor signal includes angular values that represent an absolute orientation angle of the rotatable driving shaft. The system includes a memory storing a mapping of values of a patterned signal to the angular values, electronic circuitry configured to generate, based on the angular values and the stored mapping, the patterned signal, and a signal generator circuit configured to generate a signal representing the absolute orientation angle of the rotatable driving shaft based on the angle sensor signal.

A device for sensing the relative rotary position of first and second parts about a rotation axis, the device comprising a follower constrained to move on a first track fast with the first part and on a second track fast with the second part, the first track being linear and the second track comprising a plurality of circular arcs and at least one transition section connecting one of the circular arcs to another, the tracks being arranged so as to convert relative rotation of the parts into linear motion of the follower, wherein the second track is generally spiral, each circular arc is of constant radius about the rotation axis and the first track is perpendicular to the rotation axis.