Sensor System and Method for Determining a Position of a Measuring Element Along a Motion Path

Abstract

A sensor system for detecting a position of a measuring element movable along a motion path, having a sensor arrangement, which includes a plurality of sensors arranged at least along a subsection of the motion path, which in each case are designed for a contactless detection at least of one physical dimension dependent on a position of a measuring element along the motion path as well as for a provision at least of one sensor signal dependent on the a least one determined physical dimension, as well as having a processing device, which is connected electrically with the sensors and which is designed for a processing of the sensor signals to form at least one position signal, which represents the position at least of one measuring element along the motion path, wherein the processing device is designed for a synchronous detection of sensor signals of the sensors.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sensor system for the detection of a position of a measuring element movable along a motion path, having a sensor arrangement, which comprises a plurality of sensors arranged at least along a subsection of the motion path, which in each case are designed for the contactless detection at least of one physical dimension dependent on a position of a measuring element along the motion path as well as having a processing device, which is connected electrically with the sensors and which is designed for a processing of the sensor signals to form at least one position signal, which represents the position at least of one measuring element along the motion path, wherein the processing device is designed for a synchronous detection of sensor signals of the sensors. 
     
     
         2 . The sensor system according to  claim 1 , wherein the sensors are designed for a determination at least of one physical dimension from the group: magnetic field strength, magnetic field direction, electromagnetic induction, electrical field strength, intensity of illumination, sound intensity. 
     
     
         3 . The sensor system according to  claim 2 , wherein the sensors are designed as multidimensional Hall sensors. 
     
     
         4 . The sensor system according to  claim 1 , wherein sensors arranged adjacently along the subsection of the motion path are arranged in such a manner that a detection of the measuring element by at least two sensors, which in each case provide a presettable minimum level of the sensor signal, is always ensured along the subsection of the motion path. 
     
     
         5 . The sensor system according to  claim 4 , wherein at least one part of the sensors is arranged along the subsection of the motion path uniformly with a first division and/or wherein at least one part of the sensors are arranged on a mounting path, which runs parallel to the subsection of the motion path. 
     
     
         6 . The sensor system according to  claim 5 , wherein all sensors are arranged on the mounting path which runs parallel to the subsection of the motion path. 
     
     
         7 . The sensor system according to  claim 5 , wherein all sensors are arranged on a mounting straight line which runs parallel to the subsection of the motion path. 
     
     
         8 . The sensor system according to  claim 5 , wherein, on at least one end area of the subsection of the motion path, two adjacently arranged sensors are arranged with a second division, which is selected to be smaller than the first division. 
     
     
         9 . The sensor system according to  claim 8 , wherein a first and a second sensor arranged along the motion path and/or a penultimate and a last sensor arranged along the motion path are arranged with a second division, which is selected to be smaller than the first division. 
     
     
         10 . The sensor system according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the sensors is accommodated in a separately designed housing and is arranged on a printed circuit board extending along the subsection of the motion path and/or that the processing device comprises a plurality of sensor interfaces for a parallel coupling with the sensors, wherein each of the sensor interfaces is connected to a clock generator, which is designed for a provision of a read-out signal to the sensor interfaces. 
     
     
         11 . The sensor system according to  claim 10 , wherein the processing device comprises a plurality of serial-peripheral interfaces for a parallel coupling with the sensors. 
     
     
         12 . The sensor system according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing device is connected electrically with an output interface which is configured for a provision of the at least one position signal to a communication system. 
     
     
         13 . The sensor system according to  claim 12 , wherein the output interface is designed as a synchronous serial interface or as a Drive Cliq bus interface, which is configured for a provision of the at least one position signal to a multiconductor arrangement or a bus system. 
     
     
         14 . The sensor system according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing device is connected electrically with a display device, which comprises display elements arranged along a mounting path running parallel to the subsection of the motion path, which is designed for an output of status signals depending on the determined position signals and/or that the subsection of the motion path is formed by a stator of a linear drive system, wherein the measuring element  3  is assigned to a carrier movable along the stator. 
     
     
         15 . A method for determining a position of a measuring element along a motion path, the method comprising:
 contactless detection of at least one physical dimension, which is dependent on the position of a measuring element along the motion path, with a plurality of sensors arranged along a subsection of the motion path;   synchronous detection of sensor signals of the sensors by a processing device, which is connected electrically with the sensors; and   processing of the sensor signals to form at least one position signal, which represents the position at least of one measuring element along the motion path.   
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the sensors are designed for the detection of magnetic field components at least of one magnetic field provided by at least one measuring element and that at least two magnetic field components aligned perpendicular to each other are detected by the respective sensor and are processed to form a sensor signal, wherein the processing device compares the synchronously detected sensor signals of the sensors with a presettable minimum level for the sensor signal and processes those sensor signals of sensors arranged at least pairwise adjacent along the subsection of the motion path to form at least one position signal, which are above the presettable minimum level.