A novel planar 3D magnetic position measurement methodology using linear Hall sensors

A novel planar 3D magnetic position measurement methodology using linear Hall sensors is proposed. The measurement methodology can achieve micrometer-order resolution and unlimited range in planar translational 2-DOF (degree-of-freedom), as well as unrestricted range in planar rotational motion. This work presents the methodology and simulation of planar 3-DOF motion measurements of a platen above a Halbach magnet matrix. This methodology includes the arrangement of the linear Hall sensors and the associated position-calculation algorithm to determine the position and orientation through the sensor measurements. Simulation results for ideal cases emphasize the validity of this new measurement methodology and that with Gaussian noise inputs imply strong sensitivity to the noise at some special positions or areas.