The present invention relates to a method and system for determining the position of the armature of a solenoid using a controller to determine the temperature of the solenoid and to indirectly determine the position of the armature without the need of an additional sensor using current sensing pulses and a solenoid capable of staying engaged due to residual magnetism after the coil has been de-energized.

A sensor arrangement for determining a position and/or a change in the position of a measurement object is described, wherein the sensor arrangement has a magnet and a magnetic field sensor which can be moved relative to one another in a direction of movement. The magnet generates a magnetic field. Movements of the magnet and of the measurement object or movements of the magnetic field sensor and of the measurement object are coupled. To achieve the greatest possible measurement range with a characteristic curve which is as linear as possible at the same time, the sensor arrangement comprises a rod-shaped body which is made from a ferromagnetic material and has a considerably larger dimension in the longitudinal direction than in the transverse direction. A relative movement takes place between the rod-shaped body and the magnet, wherein the rod-shaped body can be connected to the magnet. The magnetic field from the magnet is at least partially directed in the direction of the magnetic field sensor. In this case, the rod-shaped body is arranged parallel to the direction of movement. The magnetic field sensor is arranged on a longitudinal side of the rod-shaped body and is configured to generate a measurement signal from a portion of the magnetic field which emerges from the rod-shaped body at the magnetic field sensor. As a result, the position and/or change in the position of the measurement object can be determined from the measurement signal.

A system for detecting a position of a dual solenoid device includes device configured to move between first and second positions, and a controller. The controller has first and second monitoring circuits in operable communication with first and second channels, respectively. The first and second channels are in operable communication with first and second solenoids, respectively. Each solenoid is configured to selectively operate as an active solenoid to move the device when the solenoid and its respective channel are in an active mode, and as a passive solenoid when the solenoid and its respective channel are in a passive mode to passively move with the active solenoid. Each of the monitoring circuits is configured to determine a position of the device when the channel the monitoring circuit is associated with is operating in the passive mode by monitoring an electrical parameter of the passive solenoid associated with that channel.

A variable inductance force transducer includes a variable inductor including an induction coil having a wire configured as a plurality of turns with a hollow center having an inner opening. An inner core is within the induction coil that can move in and out responsive to an applied pulling force to change its inductance depending on a magnitude of a pulling force applied to the inner core. A spring has an end for securing to a fixture and an opposite end secured to a first end of the inner core which has a second end opposite the first end having a coupling feature attached thereto for attaching a load which provides the pulling force.

A detector circuit for detecting a variation in inductance of the magnetic circuit of an inductive displacement sensor, the detector circuit including: a first flip flop arranged to supply a first signal including a voltage pulse of necessary and sufficient duration to charge a coil to a threshold current, wherein the first signal is applied to a first terminal of the coil; a pulse generator configured to supply a reference signal comprising a reference pulse; a clock signal generator arranged to trigger the voltage pulse and the reference pulse periodically and simultaneously; and a second flip flop arranged to generate an output signal taking a status of the first signal on a trailing edge of the reference pulse.

A system may include a magnetic sensor to measure a magnetic field that is influenced by a magnetic property of a target object, and determine first characteristic information, associated with the target object, based on the magnetic field. The system may include a radar sensor to measure a radar signal that is influenced by a radar property of the target object, and determine second characteristic information, associated with the target object, based on the radar signal. The system may include a controller to determine a characteristic of the target object based on the first characteristic information and the second characteristic information.

A position sensing system is disclosed. The position sensing system may include a hollow sensor body. A magnet may be disposed in the hollow sensor body. The magnet may be movable within the hollow sensor body.

A bistable solenoid valve device for a fluid system includes a bistable solenoid valve and a detection device. The bistable solenoid valve has a permanent magnet yoke, an armature configured to be displaced between a first armature position for contact against a first core to form an air gap with a second core and a second armature position for contact against the second core to form an air gap with the first core. The bistable solenoid valve device further includes a detection device configured to evaluate and/or measure a first inductance of the first armature coil, and evaluate and/or measure a second inductance of the second armature coil without displacement of the armature, to compare the inductance of the first armature coil and the inductance of the second armature coil, and to output a state signal that indicates the armature position.

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.

Provided is an angle detection device capable of detecting the angle with high sensitivity by a very simple assembly process without requiring complicated processing. The angle detection device is provided with: a rotor (5) which is formed by a disk plate body produced from a magnetic substance having uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, the disk plate body rotating around a center point within the disk plate surface; a stator (3) which is provided to face the plate surface of the disk plate body of the rotor (5), has approximately the same external shape as that of the rotor, and is divided into a plurality of fan-shaped regions, and in which an exciting coil or a detection coil is wound along the outer periphery of each of the divided regions.