A loading device, a monitoring system, and a method thereof can measure stiffness of a structural member (SM) and monitor progress or property thereof over time. The loading device includes two types of displacement sensors, one type being an antenna. As the SM, which is in a magnetic or electromagnetic field and electromagnetically coupled to the antenna without contact, undergoes displacement under known loads, characteristics of the electromagnetic field coupling between the antenna and the SM change over time due to the displacement of the SM. The shift in the characteristics of the electromagnetic field coupling between the antenna and the SM can be used to determine the displacement of the SM. Based on the changes in the displacement over time, diagnosis of the SM being monitored over an evaluation period can be made. The loading device includes at least one movable frame to apply a preload to the SM.

A rotation sensing apparatus includes a detected part, a sensor unit, and a rotation information calculation circuit. The sensor unit includes a first sensor disposed opposite to a first pattern portion, a second sensor disposed opposite to a second pattern portion, a third sensor disposed to be spaced apart from the first sensor in the rotation direction and opposite to the first pattern portion, and a fourth sensor disposed to be spaced apart from the second sensor in the rotation direction and opposite to the second pattern portion. The rotation information calculation circuit is configured to sense the rotation direction, in response to a differential signal, generated based on the first oscillation signal and the second oscillation signal, and an oscillation signal corresponding to maximum and minimum frequencies, from among the first oscillation signal, the second oscillation signal, the third oscillation signal, and the fourth oscillation signal.

The invention relates to a method for measuring the armature position of a solenoid having a coil with a movable armature, constructed as a bistable linear magnet and activated in a switched mode by means of pulse width modulation, wherein the depth of the current peaks at the solenoid is measured as a measure of the inductance and the position of the movable armature.

An inductive sensor device includes a reference sensor head that is used to adjust the characteristics of an operational sensor head that is used to detect movement of a conductive target. The reference sensor head has near it a fixed reference target that is similar to the target for which the operational sensor head detects movement, with the difference that the reference target is fixed with respect to a reference sensor coil of the reference sensor head. The reference sensor head includes a variable reference capacitor or variable reference inductor that is adjusted to maintain constant (or nearly constant) output, such as a constant (or nearly constant) resonant frequency, during operation of the sensor device. Adjustments of the variable reference element (variable capacitor or variable inductor) may be undertaken to compensate for changes in characteristics of the reference sensor due to changes in temperature, for example.

An actuator of a camera module includes a detected portion disposed on a lens barrel, and a position detector including a first sensing coil and a second sensing coil, disposed to face the detected portion, and a reference coil disposed outside of a region facing the detected portion, wherein the position detector detects a position of the detected portion in accordance with calculation results of inductances of the first sensing coil and the second sensing coil, and removes noise components by applying inductance of the reference coil to the calculation results of inductances of the first sensing coil and the second sensing coil.

A device for position sensing comprises sensing means arranged for producing at least two sensor signals, and a signal construction unit. The signal construction unit comprises selection means for selecting in a serial way one of at least two time-synchronous signals, sampling means for sampling a selected time-synchronous signal at given sampling instants, storage means for storing sampled data representing the selected time-synchronous signal and timing information indicating which of the given sampling instants were used to obtain the sampled data, and processing means for determining at one of the given sampling instants a value for at least one of said time-synchronous signals that was not sampled at the one given sampling instant by performing an interpolation using data values of the at least one time synchronous signal stored in the storage means and obtained at another point in time than the one given sampling instant.

An integrated circuit (IC) chip including an array of asymmetrically distributed magnetic field sensing elements. Additionally, an integrated circuit (IC) chip includes a substrate, a sensing coil supported by the substrate and enclosing a portion of substrate, and a Hall effect sensor supported by the portion of the substrate enclosed by the sensing coil.

A supplementary device is configured to be releasably attached to an auto injector type device. The supplementary device is suitable for use with disposable one-shot auto injectors and re-usable one-shot auto injectors. The supplementary device has at least one inductive proximity sensor which outputs signals indicative of the position moveable components within the auto injector. The supplementary device is configured to determine based on the outputted signals the moment at which the auto injector changes from a pre-ejection state to a post-ejection state. In response to determining that the auto injector has changed from the pre-ejection state to the post ejection state, the supplementary device displays a visual indication that a user should hold the auto injector in its current position for a predetermined period of time.

An inductive position sensor may be configured to detect relative position between a first member and a second member. The inductive position sensor may include an inductive sensor element configured to be coupled to the first member and a screening layer formed over a screened portion of a member surface of the second member such that an exposed portion of the member surface is free of the screening layer. The screening layer may be configured to reduce an effect on induced signals in the inductive sensor element caused by the screened portion of the second member.

A position sensing system for measuring a position of a linearly moving object includes a high magnetic permeability material positioned on the moving object, an electromagnet configured to generate an alternating magnetic field, and at least one magnetic sensor configured to measure an intensity of a first magnetic field that is based on the alternating magnetic field. A controller is configured to estimate a linear position of the moving object based on the measured intensity of the first magnetic field.