Disclosed is a bearing including a bearing ring and an inductive angular displacement sensor of the bearing ring, which includes a transducer and a target. The target is formed from a single conductive metal part and including a face with a base wall and one or a plurality of metal studs projecting from this base wall. The target is fastened firmly to the bearing ring, or is machined directly in the bearing ring.

The magnetic encoder includes: a core member of annular shape having a press-fitting portion which bends and extends from an edge of a track formation surface, and to which a rotary shaft is press-fitted and fixed; and two or more rows of magnetic tracks arranged adjacent to each other on a magnetic member provided on the track formation surface, each track having N poles and S poles alternately magnetized thereon. The two or more rows of magnetic tracks include a main track that has a largest number of magnetic poles and is used for calculating an angle of rotation, and a sub track used for calculating a phase difference from the main track. The main track is located on a side more distant from the press-fitting portion than the sub track.

Provided is a magnetic encoder that can be produced by a simple modification of an existing production method and that can detect an absolute angle with high efficiency, and a method and an apparatus for producing the magnetic encoder. In a magnetic encoder, a plurality of rows of magnetic tracks, each having N poles and S poles arranged alternately, are disposed adjacent to each other. The rows of magnetic tracks include a main track used for calculating an angle and a sub track used for calculating a phase difference from the main track. The number of magnetic poles of the main track is larger than that of the sub track. The main track is magnetized after the sub track. Thus, accuracy of pitch of the magnetic poles is higher in the main track than in the sub track.

A magnetic encoder having a plurality of rows of magnetic tracks and capable of detecting an absolute angle is easily producible with higher accuracy. The magnetic encoder includes: a core member of annular shape having a bending plate portion that bends and extends from an edge of a track formation surface; and two or more rows of magnetic tracks arranged adjacent to each other on a magnetic member provided on the track formation surface, each track having N poles and S poles alternately magnetized thereon. The magnetic tracks include a main track that has a largest number of magnetic poles and is used for calculating an angle, and a sub track used for calculating a phase difference from the main track. The main track is located on a side closer to the bending plate portion than the sub track.

The invention relates to a method for determining shifts in position in at least two different spatial directions between a first element and a second element which are movable relative to each other, with at least two sensors which measure contactlessly and are spaced, in the at least two different spatial directions, from at least two standards which are fixed to the second element, sensor areas of the at least two sensors opposing the at least two standards in the respective spatial direction and sensing said standards, wherein: the at least two sensors scan the at least two standards and generate, in interaction with the at least two standards, output signals with which in combination an absolute position of the second element is determined, said absolute position being associated with a linear movement in a further spatial direction or with a rotary movement, andwherein the output signals of the at least two sensors are also used to determine values which characterise the distance between the respective sensor and the corresponding standard of the second element in the associated spatial direction, are corrected as a function of the determined absolute position of the second element, and from which the shift in position of the second element relative to the first element in the respective spatial direction is determined.

A rotation angle detection device includes a correction-object driven gear that is a driven gear meshing with a main driving gear, a first sensor that is configured to generate an electrical signal based on rotation of the correction-object driven gear, and an electronic control unit that computes a driven-side rotation angle based on the electrical signal. The electronic control unit is configured to store a correction angle used to correct the driven-side rotation angle when computing the driven-side rotation angle. The correction angle is a predetermined deviation in a predetermined angle domain obtained as an average value in which deviations of the number equal to the integer and corresponding to a same relative rotation angle is averaged, so as to be deviation in an angle domain of 0 to 360 degrees.

To provide a linear motion and rotation detector in which a size thereof in a linear motion direction is able to be minimized. A linear motion and rotation detector (7) includes a cylindrical magnetic scale (8) that moves linearly in an axial direction (X) and rotates in a direction around an axis, a first magnetic detection element (41) configured to detect a linear motion position, and a second magnetic detection element (42) configured to detect a rotational position. The magnetic scale (8) includes a lattice-shaped magnetized pattern (37) in which S poles and N poles are alternately arranged in the axial direction (X) and S poles and N poles are alternately magnetized in the direction around the axis on a circumferential surface thereof. The first magnetic detection element (41) and the second magnetic detection element (42) are disposed to face the magnetized pattern (37). Since a linear motion position and a rotational position are able to be detected using the first magnetic detection element (41) and the second magnetic detection element (42) which face the same magnetized pattern, it is unnecessary to arrange the linear motion scale and the rotational scale at different positions in the axial direction (X). Thus, an increase in size of the linear motion and rotation detector (7) in the axial direction (X) can be minimized.

A method of correcting a position reading from a position sensing arrangement. The position sensing arrangement is suitable for sensing the position of a revolute joint of an articulated structure, and comprises a disc having a magnetic ring with magnetic pole pairs and a magnetic sensor assembly comprising a magnetic sensor array for detecting the magnetic pole pairs of the magnetic ring. The method comprises: for each pole pair of the magnetic ring, taking a calibration pole pair position reading with the magnetic sensor array, and generating a pole pair correcting function by comparing the calibration pole pair position reading with a model pole pair position reading; averaging the pole pair correcting functions of the pole pairs of the magnetic ring to generate an average pole pair correcting function for the magnetic ring; taking a position reading with the magnetic sensor array, the position reading comprising a plurality of pole pair position readings; and generating a corrected position reading by deducting the average pole pair correcting function from each pole pair position reading.

Disclosed is a method for counting events occurring during a period T carried out by a mechanical counter including two toothed wheels with the same pitch, the occurrence of an event causing the rotation of each wheel by an angle corresponding to the pitch of the teeth thereof, the method including: counting or calculating, for each wheel at the end of T, the difference in the number of teeth between the initial and final position thereof, the step being at least partially carried out either by an optical unit, requiring the presence on each wheel of at least one marker, or by a unit for measuring the angular displacement of each wheel and associated calculation unit; and calculating the number of occurred events N in accordance with the difference between the values counted or measured and in accordance with the number of teeth of the wheels.

A method of assembling a position sensing arrangement for sensing the position of a revolute joint of an articulated structure. The position sensing arrangement comprises a magnetic sensor assembly and a disc having a first magnetic ring with j magnetic pole pairs and a second magnetic ring with k magnetic pole pairs. A boundary of the disc is constrained by the articulated structure. The method comprises: determining a number of pole pairs of the first magnetic ring to be an integer p such that the first magnetic ring is separated from the constrained boundary by at least the magnetic sensor assembly; determining a number of pole pairs of the second magnetic ring to be an integer q such that the second magnetic ring is separated from the first magnetic ring by a predetermined distance; and if p and q are co-prime: selecting j to be p and k to be q; and assembling the position sensing arrangement by mounting the disc to the articulated structure such that both the disc and the revolute joint are permitted to rotate about the same axis.