New magneto-inductive sensing principle and its implementation in sensors for industrial applications

Non-contacting displacement measuring systems are nowadays preferred for industrial position feedback at actuators. The systems are based on various operating principles whose properties determine the potential areas of application. In spite of the large number of solutions available on the market, there still are applications that are inaccessible to any of the familiar transducers. When linear motion in a range of up to 200 mm is involved, compromises almost always have to be made with respect to size, measuring range, durability and costs. The paper presents a worldwide innovation on this field: a new magneto-inductive sensing principle and displacement measuring system especially developed for positioning tasks in the above mentioned range. Due to its flexibility, ruggedness and compact design, it is ideal for numerous industrial applications and even opens up areas for new implementations. Consisting of a slender, rectangular sensor with fully integrated processing electronics and a permanent magnet target, the system converts the target position into an absolute, displacement-proportional voltage and current standard signal.