Angular position sensor

Abstract

An angular position sensor employs a pair of magnets that are disposed on a rotating cylinder at opposite ends of a diameter of the cylinder. A hall-effect flux sensor is fixed within the cylinder and offset from a line of geometric symmetry between the magnets. The offset sensor detects a linear change in flux of the magnets as the magnets rotate with the cylinder over a predetermined angular distance and thereby determines the angular position of the cylinder. The offset of the sensor is adjusted to reduce the sensing error.

1 - 19 . (canceled)  
   
   
       20 . A method for optimizing the operational parameters of an angular position sensing apparatus, comprising the steps of: 
 determining ratios for a selected spacing between two magnets and associated selected variable offsets of a magnetic flux sensor disposed between the magnets;    determining the error with which the flux sensor detects relative rotation between the sensor and magnets over a predetermined angle of rotation for each ratio;    selecting a preferred optimum error for a selected angle of rotation; and    configuring the ratio of magnet spacing and flux sensor offset to achieve optimum error measurements for rotation over the selected angle of rotation.    
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20 , further including the step of using a hall-effect device as the flux sensor.