Rotor for inductive position sensor

Abstract

The invention relates to a rotor for an inductive position sensor. Embodiments disclose an inductive position sensor subsystem. The inductive position sensor includes: a precision rotor on a first printed circuit board; and a metal coarse rotor including a metal support to which the first printed circuit board is coupled. The inductive position sensor also includes a precision sensor receiver and a coarse sensor receiver that generate a respective plurality of sensor signals based on rotation of the precision rotor and the metal coarse rotor. The precision sensor receiver and the coarse sensor receiver are located on a second printed circuit board separate from the first printed circuit board.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 513,498, filed on July 13, 2023, entitled “Rotor for Inductive Position Sensor,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to sensors and, more particularly, to inductive angular position sensors. Background Art

[0004] In many computer and mechanical systems, various sensors may be employed to detect different environmental and operating conditions and generate analog or digital signals corresponding to the detected conditions. In some systems, temperature sensors may be employed to detect the temperature of the system in order to determine whether the system is operating within a specified temperature range. Other systems may employ accelerometer sensors to help determine the motion of a system or a portion of a system. In robotic systems, rotation sensors may be used to determine how far a portion of the system (e.g., a robotic arm) has rotated. Summary of the invention

[0005] Various embodiments of an inductive position sensor are disclosed. In general, the inductive position sensor includes: a fine rotor located on a first printed circuit board; and a metal coarse rotor including a metal support to which the first printed circuit board is coupled. The inductive position sensor also includes: a fine sensor receiver configured to generate a plurality of fine sensor signals based on a first rotation of the fine rotor; and a coarse sensor receiver configured to generate a plurality of coarse sensor signals based on a second rotation of the metal coarse rotor. The fine sensor receiver and the coarse sensor receiver are located on a second printed circuit board separate from the first printed circuit board. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] To describe in detail example embodiments, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0007] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an implementation of a sensor subsystem.

[0008] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a rotor assembly for a sensor.

[0009] Figure 3 is a top view of an embodiment of a sensor receiver;

[0010] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a sensor having a metal rough rotor.

[0011] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a sensor having a fine rotor and a coarse rotor on a common printed circuit board.

[0012] Figure 6 are cross-sectional views of different embodiments of sensors having a fine rotor and a coarse rotor on a common printed circuit board.

[0013] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a sensor having a fine rotor and a coarse rotor on a common printed circuit board.

[0014] Figure 8 is a top view of an embodiment of a printed circuit board rotor assembly.

[0015] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method for operating a sensor having a metal coarse rotor.

[0016] Fig.10 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method for operating a sensor having a fine rotor and a coarse rotor on a common printed circuit board.

[0017] Fig.11 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a system for controlling rotation of a portion of a mechanical device.

[0018] Many electrical connections in the drawings are shown as directly coupled without intermediary devices, but are not explicitly described as such in the following description. However, for electrical connections shown in the drawings without intermediary devices, this paragraph should serve as an antecedent basis for the claims for referencing any electrical connection as "directly coupled."

[0019] definition

[0020] Various terms are used to refer to specific system components. Different companies may refer to a component by different names - this document is not intended to distinguish between components that differ in name but function the same. In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms "include" and "comprising" are used in an open-ended manner, and therefore, these terms should be interpreted to mean "including but not limited to...". In addition, the terms "couple" or "coupled" are intended to mean either an indirect connection or a direct connection. Thus, if a first device is coupled to a second device, that connection may be made through a direct connection or through an indirect connection via other devices and connections.

[0021] As used herein, "a", "an", and "the" refer to both singular and plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, a "processor" programmed to perform various functions refers to one processor programmed to perform each function, or more than one processor that are collectively programmed to perform each of the various functions.

[0022] With respect to an electrical device (whether stand-alone or as part of an integrated circuit), the terms "input" and "output" refer to electrical connections to the electrical device and should not be construed as requiring verbs to operate. For example, a differential amplifier (such as an operational amplifier) ​​may have a first differential input and a second differential input, and these "inputs" define electrical connections to the operational amplifier and should not be construed as requiring signal inputs to the operational amplifier.

[0023] “Controller” or “controller circuitry” shall mean, alone or in combination, an individual circuit component, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microcontroller with control software, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) circuit with control software, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processor with control software, a programmable logic device (PLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or a programmable system on a chip (PSOC), configured to read inputs and drive outputs in response to those inputs. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Various sensor circuits can be used in various computer, mechanical and electromechanical systems. Such sensor circuits determine and transmit environmental and / or operational information, which can be used as part of a control mechanism. For example, to control servomotors, robotic arms, and collaborative robots (referred to as "cobots"), multiple rotation sensors can be employed.

[0025] One type of rotation sensor that can be employed in the system is an inductive angular position sensor. In this sensor, an excitation coil can be fabricated on a printed circuit board ("PCB"), and a rotor made of a conductive material is attached to the object whose rotation is to be measured and rotates above the PCB and the excitation coil.

[0026] When a drive current is passed through the field coil, the resulting magnetic field induces a current in the rotor. When the induced current flows in the rotor, another magnetic field is generated around the rotor, which in turn induces a corresponding current or voltage in one or more receiver coils (called "stators"), which are also manufactured on the PCB.

[0027] The magnetic field of the rotor is coupled into one or more stators as a function of the angular position of the rotor to the stator. By measuring the polarity and magnitude of the voltage induced in the stator, the angle of the rotor relative to the stator can be determined.

[0028] In the case of two stators, each having a different rotational symmetry over the measurement range, the signals from the two stators resolve to a unique angular position of the rotor, provided that the only common factor between the rotational symmetries is 1 (called "mutual prime" or "relative mutual prime"). Although this arrangement of rotor and stator is relatively immune to rotor eccentricity (i.e., the center of rotation is not above the center of the stator) and rotor tilt (i.e., the axis of rotation is not perpendicular to the plane of the stator), lateral motion and tilt of the rotor can cause errors.

[0029] The rotor can be manufactured on a single layer printed circuit board or made from machined metal that matches the geometry of the receiver coil. Such a rotor can be rigid and firmly attached to a shaft that is attached to the object being rotated, wherein the shaft is perpendicular to the stator.

[0030] Machined rotors that meet the mounting requirements cannot be machined to match the precision geometry used in the vernier sensor coils. Rotors fabricated on printed circuit boards can be manufactured with the precision geometry for the vernier sensor coils, but mounting such rotors can be difficult because any overlapping metal pieces can cause short circuits, which can degrade the sensor signal.

[0031] Embodiments described herein may provide techniques for implementing sensors using a hybrid rotor solution that employs a combination of a metal coarse rotor and a printed circuit board based precision rotor. This combination enables the metal coarse rotor to support the precision rotor, thereby enabling the precision rotor to be positioned close to the stator in order to increase signal amplitude while reducing harmonic distortion.

[0032] exist Figure 1 A block diagram of the sensor subsystem is depicted in FIG. As shown, the sensor subsystem 100 includes a sensor 101 and an interface circuit 102. In various embodiments, the sensor 101 includes a stator assembly 103 and a rotor assembly 104. As described below, the stator assembly 103 includes a precision sensor receiver 111 and a coarse sensor receiver 112, while the rotor assembly 104 includes a precision rotor 109 and a metal coarse rotor 110.

[0033] In various embodiments, the precision rotor 109 is located on a specific printed circuit board. The metal coarse rotor 110 is coupled to the specific printed circuit board. For example, the metal coarse rotor 110 can be a machined metal rotor of the printed circuit board that supports the precision rotor 109. In some embodiments, the thickness of the precision rotor 109 can be about 1 mm, while the thickness of the metal coarse rotor 110 can exceed 5 mm. Therefore, the metal coarse rotor 110 can be at least five times the thickness of the precision rotor 109. As described below, the metal coarse rotor 110 can be coupled to the specific printed circuit board using any suitable combination of screws, rivets, bolts, and adhesives.

[0034] The fine sensor receiver 111 is configured to generate a fine sensor signal 105 based on the rotation of the fine rotor 109. In a similar manner, the coarse sensor receiver 112 is configured to generate a coarse sensor signal 106 based on the rotation of the metal coarse rotor 110. In various embodiments, the fine sensor receiver 111 and the coarse sensor receiver 112 are located on different printed circuit boards that are separate from the specific printed circuit board. It should be noted that in various embodiments, the fine sensor signal 105 and the coarse sensor signal 106 can each include at least two sensor signals. In some embodiments, the use of multiple fine sensor signals and coarse sensor signals can allow for a more accurate determination of the rotation angle.

[0035] In various embodiments, the interface circuit 102 is configured to generate an output angle value 107 using the fine sensor signal 105 and the coarse sensor signal 106. In some cases, to generate the output angle value 107, the interface circuit 102 is further configured to perform one or more analog-to-digital conversion operations on the fine sensor signal 105 and the coarse sensor signal 106. In some embodiments, the interface circuit 102 is also configured to generate an excitation current 108, which can be applied to an excitation coil in the stator assembly 103.

[0036] Steering Figure 2 , depicts an exploded perspective view of the rotor assembly 104. As shown, the rotor assembly 104 includes a precision rotor 109 and a metal coarse rotor 110. In various embodiments, the precision rotor 109 is fabricated on a printed circuit board 203 (denoted as "PCB 203").

[0037] In various embodiments, the precision rotor 109 can be fabricated on the PCB 203 using copper or any other suitable material. The PCB 203 can include multiple instances of mounting holes 206 that can be used to couple the PCB 203 to the metal coarse rotor 110. By fabricating the precision rotor 109 on the PCB 203, a precision structure can be achieved, thereby enabling high resolution when measuring rotation. As described below, with support provided by the metal coarse rotor 110, the PCB 203 can be positioned close enough to the stator assembly 103 to increase the signal amplitude of the precision sensor signal 105 while reducing harmonic distortion.

[0038] The metal coarse rotor 110 includes multiple instances of mounting holes 207 that are used to couple the metal coarse rotor 110 to corresponding instances of mounting holes 206 on the PCB 203 using one or more of the screws 204. Alternatively or additionally, the metal coarse rotor 110 can be attached to the PCB 203 using an adhesive 210. In various embodiments, the adhesive 210 can be thermally and / or electrically conductive. Although the adhesive 210 is depicted as surrounding the shaft opening 209, in other embodiments, the adhesive 210 can be used in any suitable location on the metal coarse rotor 110 that can be attached to the PCB 203.

[0039] The metal coarse rotor 110 also includes a shaft opening 209. In various embodiments, the diameter of the shaft opening 209 can be based at least in part on the diameter of a shaft (not shown) that is connected to the object whose rotation is to be sensed. In various embodiments, the metal coarse rotor 110 is attached to the shaft by inserting the screw 205 into the mounting hole 208 until the screw contacts the shaft. Although Figure 2 The embodiment depicts the use of screws 204 and screws 205, but in other embodiments, screws 204 and 205 may be replaced with any suitable combination of rivets, bolts, adhesives, or other suitable coupling hardware.

[0040] Steering Figure 3 , depicts a top view of an embodiment of a stator assembly 103. As shown, the stator assembly 103 includes an excitation coil 301 and receiver coils 302-305. In various embodiments, the receiver coils 302 and 303 form a fine sensor receiver configured to generate a fine sensor signal 105, while the receiver coils 304 and 305 form a coarse sensor receiver configured to generate a coarse sensor signal 106.

[0041] The excitation coil 301 is manufactured (or "printed") on a printed circuit board or "PCB" (not shown). In various embodiments, the excitation coil 301 is manufactured using copper or any other suitable material that can be printed on a PCB. Although the excitation coil 301 is depicted as a single trace, in other embodiments, the excitation coil 301 may include multiple concentric traces.

[0042] Receiver coils 302-305 are also made of conductive material on the PCB. In various embodiments, receiver coils 302 and 303 have different geometries than receiver coils 304 and 305. In some cases, receiver coils 302 and 303 may have more loops away from the center to increase resolution relative to receiver coils 304 and 305. Although in Figure 3 In the embodiment of FIG. , only two receiver coils are depicted for each of the fine sensor receiver and the coarse sensor receiver, but in other embodiments, any suitable number of receiver coils may be employed for the fine sensor receiver and the coarse sensor receiver.

[0043] To measure rotation, the interface circuit 102 is configured to apply an AC signal to the excitation coil 301. When an AC current flows in the excitation coil 301, a magnetic field is generated around the excitation coil 301. In various embodiments, coupling from the excitation coil 301 to the fine rotor 109 and the coarse rotor 110 is independent of the angular position of the fine rotors 109 and 110, but is a function of the distance between the coupled excitation coil 301 and the fine rotor 109 and the coarse rotor 110.

[0044] The magnetic field generated by the excitation coil 301 induces currents in the fine rotor 109 and the coarse rotor 110, which in turn generate magnetic fields around the fine rotor 109 and the coarse rotor 110. The corresponding magnetic fields generated by the induced currents in the fine rotor 109 and the coarse rotor 110 are superimposed to form a composite magnetic field that is coupled to the receiver coils 302-305. The coupling from a given rotor to a given receiver coil is a function of both the distance between the given rotor and the given receiver coil and the angular position of the given rotor and the given receiver coil. However, it should be noted that since the fine rotor 109 has a different rotational symmetry than the receiver coils 304 and 305, there is minimal coupling between the fine rotor 109 and the receiver coils 304 and 305. In a similar manner, since the coarse rotor 110 has a different rotational symmetry than the receiver coils 302 and 303, there is minimal coupling between the coarse rotor 110 and the receiver coils 302 and 303.

[0045] The magnetic field generated by the fine rotor 109 induces corresponding currents or voltages in the two receiver coils 302 and 303, while the coarse rotor 110 induces corresponding currents or voltages in the two receiver coils 304 and 305. As described below, the interface circuit 102 is configured to measure the polarity and magnitude of the corresponding voltages of the receiver coils 302-305. Using the polarity and magnitude measurements, the interface circuit 102 is also configured to determine the output angle value 107. As described above, the number of cycles in the signals of the receiver coils 302 and 303 may depend on the geometry of the receiver coils 302 and 303, while the number of cycles in the signals of the receiver coils 304 and 305 may depend on the geometry of the receiver coils 304 and 305. In various embodiments, the receiver coils 302 and 303 may generate the fine sensor signal 105, while the receiver coils 304 and 305 may generate the coarse sensor signal 106.

[0046] Steering Figure 4 , depicts a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a sensor. As shown, the sensor 400 includes a rotor PCB 401, a stator PCB 402, and a coarse rotor 403. In various embodiments, the sensor 400 may correspond to Figure 1 Sensor 101 depicted in .

[0047] In various embodiments, the coarse rotor 403 may correspond to Figure 2 4. As described above, the coarse rotor 403 can be coupled to the side 413 of the rotor PCB 401 using one or more screws, rivets, bolts, or any suitable adhesive. In some embodiments, the coarse rotor 403 includes an annular base 409 (also referred to as a "support"). In this case, the annular base 409 can be coupled to a shaft via one or more screws, rivets, or bolts, which is attached to the object subjected to rotation. The coarse rotor 403 and the annular base 409 can be made using any suitable metal material.

[0048] The rotor PCB 401 includes a precision rotor 404. In various embodiments, the precision rotor 404 is located on a side 412 of the rotor PCB 401. In some embodiments, the side 412 can be an opposite side 413 of the rotor PCB 401. In various embodiments, the precision rotor 404 can be made using copper or any other suitable material that can be printed on the rotor PCB 401.

[0049] Coarse sensor 405 and fine sensor 406 are located on side 411 of stator PCB 402. In various embodiments, coarse sensor 405 and fine sensor 406 can have different rotational symmetries. In some embodiments, coarse sensor 405 and fine sensor 406 can be made using copper or any other suitable material that can be printed on stator PCB 402.

[0050] In various embodiments, the rotor PCB 401 and the stator PCB 402 are positioned relative to each other so that the fine rotor 404 is separated from the fine sensor 406 by a fine air gap 407. This position also results in the coarse rotor 403 being separated from the coarse sensor 405 by a coarse air gap 408. It should be noted that in this arrangement, the fine air gap 407 is smaller than the coarse air gap 408. In some cases, an optional gasket 410 can be included between the coarse rotor 403 and the rotor PCB 401 to increase the size of the coarse air gap 408. In various embodiments, the optional gasket 410 can be made of any suitable non-conductive material.

[0051] In some cases, the coarse rotor 403 may also be included on the same printed circuit board as the fine rotor 404. By including the fine rotor and the coarse rotor on the same printed circuit, the spacing between the rotor and its corresponding receiver coil may be adjusted by changing which side of the printed circuit board the different rotors and receiver coils are located.

[0052] exist Figure 5 , a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a sensor including two printed circuit boards is depicted in FIG. As shown, the sensor 500 includes a rotor PCB 501 and a stator PCB 502. The rotor PCB 501 includes a coarse rotor 503 and a fine rotor 504, while the stator PCB 502 includes a coarse sensor 505 and a fine sensor 506. In various embodiments, the sensor 500 may correspond to Figure 1 Sensor 101 depicted in .

[0053] The coarse rotor 503 is located on the side 509 of the rotor PCB 501, and the fine rotor 504 is located on the side 510 of the rotor PCB 501. As shown, the side 510 of the rotor PCB 501 is the opposite side 509 of the rotor PCB 501. In various embodiments, the coarse rotor 503 and the fine rotor 504 are made using copper or any other suitable material that can be printed on the rotor PCB 501. In some embodiments, the coarse rotor 503 and the fine rotor 504 can have different rotational symmetries.

[0054] Coarse sensor 505 and fine sensor 506 are located on side 511 of stator PCB 502. In various embodiments, coarse sensor 505 and fine sensor 506 can have different rotational symmetries. In some embodiments, coarse sensor 505 and fine sensor 506 can be made using copper or any other suitable material that can be printed on stator PCB 502.

[0055] In various embodiments, the rotor PCB 501 and the stator PCB 502 are positioned relative to each other such that the fine rotor 504 is separated from the fine sensor 506 by a fine air gap 507. This position also results in the coarse rotor 503 being separated from the coarse sensor 505 by a coarse air gap 508. It should be noted that in this arrangement, the fine air gap 507 is smaller than the coarse air gap 508, which increases the coupling between the fine rotor 504 and the fine sensor 506.

[0056] Steering Figure 6 , depicts a cross-section of various embodiments of the sensor. As shown, the sensor 600 includes a rotor PCB 601 and a stator PCB 602. The rotor PCB 601 includes a coarse rotor 603 and a fine rotor 604, while the stator PCB 602 includes a coarse sensor 605 and a fine sensor 606. In various embodiments, the sensor 600 may correspond to Figure 1 Sensor 101 depicted in .

[0057] The coarse rotor 603 is located on side 609 of the rotor PCB 601, while the fine rotor 604 is located on side 610 of the rotor PCB 601. As shown, side 610 is on the side of the rotor PCB 601 opposite side 609. In various embodiments, the coarse rotor 603 and the fine rotor 604 are made using copper or any other suitable material that can be printed on the rotor PCB 601. In some embodiments, the coarse rotor 603 and the fine rotor 604 can have different rotational symmetries.

[0058] The fine sensor 606 is located on side 611 of the stator PCB 602, while the coarse sensor 605 is located on side 612 of the stator PCB 602. As shown, side 611 is on the side of the stator PCB 602 opposite side 612. In various embodiments, the coarse sensor 605 and the fine sensor 606 can have different rotational symmetries. In some embodiments, the coarse sensor 605 and the fine sensor 606 can be made using copper or any other suitable material that can be printed on the stator PCB 602.

[0059] In various embodiments, the rotor PCB 601 and the stator PCB 602 are positioned relative to each other such that the fine rotor 604 is separated from the fine sensor 606 by a fine air gap 607. This position also results in the coarse rotor 603 being separated from the coarse sensor 605 by a coarse air gap 608. It should be noted that in this arrangement, the fine air gap 607 is smaller than the coarse air gap 608.

[0060] Steering Figure 7 , depicts a cross-section of various embodiments of the sensor. As shown, the sensor 700 includes a rotor PCB 701 and a stator PCB 702. The rotor PCB 701 includes a coarse rotor 703 and a fine rotor 704, while the stator PCB 702 includes a coarse sensor 705 and a fine sensor 706. In various embodiments, the sensor 700 may correspond to Figure 1 Sensor 101 depicted in .

[0061] The coarse rotor 703 and the fine rotor 704 are located on the side 709 of the rotor PCB 701. In various embodiments, the coarse rotor 703 and the fine rotor 704 are made using copper or any other suitable material that can be printed on the rotor PCB 701. In some embodiments, the coarse rotor 703 and the fine rotor 704 can have different rotational symmetries.

[0062] The fine sensor 706 is located on side 710 of the stator PCB 702, while the coarse sensor 705 is located on side 711 of the stator PCB 702. As shown, side 710 is on the side of the stator PCB 702 opposite side 711. In various embodiments, the coarse sensor 705 and the fine sensor 706 can have different rotational symmetries. In some embodiments, the coarse sensor 705 and the fine sensor 706 can be made using copper or any other suitable material that can be printed on the stator PCB 702.

[0063] In various embodiments, the rotor PCB 701 and the stator PCB 702 are positioned relative to each other such that the fine rotor 704 is separated from the fine sensor 706 by a fine air gap 707. This position also results in the coarse rotor 703 being separated from the coarse sensor 705 by a coarse air gap 708. It should be noted that in this arrangement, the fine air gap 707 is smaller than the coarse air gap 708.

[0064] Steering Figure 8 , depicting a top view of an embodiment of a printed circuit board rotor assembly. As shown, a rotor printed circuit board 800 (denoted as "rotor PCB 800") includes a precision coil 801 for forming a precision rotor and a coarse coil 802 for forming a coarse rotor. In various embodiments, the rotor PCB 800 may correspond to, respectively, Figure 5, Figure 6 and Figure 7 Any of the rotor PCB 501, rotor PCB 601 or rotor PCB 701 depicted in .

[0065] In various embodiments, the fine coil 801 and the coarse coil 802 can be manufactured on a common side of the rotor PCB 800. Alternatively, the fine coil 801 and the coarse coil 802 can be manufactured on opposite sides of the rotor PCB 800. In some embodiments, the fine coil 801 and the coarse coil 802 can be implemented using copper or any other suitable metal available in the printed circuit board manufacturing process.

[0066] As shown, the fine coil 801 has a higher count per revolution than the coarse coil 802. In various embodiments, the respective counts per revolution of the fine coil 801 and the coarse coil 802 can be based on the physical size of the rotation sensor, the desired level of accuracy of the rotation sensor, or any other suitable characteristic of the rotation sensor. In some cases, the count per revolution of the fine coil 801 can be generally higher than 10, for example, values ​​of 16, 32 or higher are common. Conversely, the count per revolution of the coarse coil 802 can be generally less than 10, for example, values ​​of 3 or 5 are common.

[0067] Steering Fig. 9 , a flow chart depicting an embodiment of a method for operating a sensor subsystem is shown. The method, which may be applicable to various sensor subsystems (eg, sensor subsystem 100 ), begins in block 901 .

[0068] The method includes generating a plurality of precision sensor signals by a precision sensor receiver by rotating a precision rotor included on a first printed circuit board (block 902). In various embodiments, the precision sensor receiver may include a plurality of first coils made of a conductive material on a first printed circuit board.

[0069] The method also includes generating, by the coarse sensor receiver, a plurality of coarse sensor signals by rotating a metal coarse rotor coupled to the first printed circuit board (block 903). In various embodiments, the coarse sensor receiver may include a plurality of second coils fabricated from a conductive material on the first printed circuit board. The rotational symmetry of the fine sensor receiver is different from the rotational symmetry of the coarse sensor receiver such that the fine sensor receiver is able to measure the rotation of the fine rotor with a higher resolution than the coarse sensor receiver is able to measure the rotation of the metal coarse rotor.

[0070] In various embodiments, the metal coarse rotor is coupled to the first printed circuit board using at least one screw. In other embodiments, the metal coarse rotor is coupled to the first printed circuit board using glue or any other suitable adhesive. In some embodiments, the metal coarse rotor is coupled to the first printed circuit board via an insulating washer.

[0071] In various embodiments, the fine sensor receiver and the coarse sensor receiver are located on a second printed circuit board separate from the first printed circuit board. In some cases, the fine sensor receiver and the coarse sensor receiver are located on a common side of the second printed circuit board. In some embodiments, a first distance between the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board is less than a second distance between the metal coarse rotor and the second printed circuit board.

[0072] The method also includes generating, by the interface circuit, an output angle value using the plurality of precision sensor signals and the plurality of coarse sensor signals (block 904). In various embodiments, generating the output angle value includes performing a plurality of analog-to-digital conversion operations on the plurality of precision sensor signals and the plurality of coarse sensor signals. The method ends at block 905.

[0073] Go to Fig.10 , a flow chart depicting an embodiment of a method for operating a sensor subsystem having a fine rotor and a coarse rotor on a common printed circuit board is shown. The method, which can be applied to various sensor subsystems (eg, sensor subsystem 100 ), begins in block 1001 .

[0074] The method includes generating, by a precision sensor receiver, a plurality of precision sensor signals by rotating a precision rotor included on a first printed circuit board (block 1002). In various embodiments, the precision sensor receiver is included on a second printed circuit board separate from the first printed circuit board.

[0075] The method also includes generating, by the coarse sensor receiver, a plurality of coarse sensor signals by rotating a coarse rotor included on the first printed circuit board (block 1003).In various embodiments, the coarse sensor receiver is included on a second printed circuit board.

[0076] As described above, the fine rotor includes fine coils, and the coarse rotor includes coarse coils. In some embodiments, the first count per revolution of the fine coils may, in some embodiments, be greater than the second count per revolution of the coarse coils.

[0077] In some embodiments, the fine rotor is located on a first side of the first printed circuit board and the coarse rotor is located on a second side of the first printed circuit board opposite the first side. In various embodiments, the fine sensor receiver and the coarse sensor receiver are located on a common side of the second printed circuit board. In other embodiments, the fine sensor receiver is located on a first side of the second printed circuit board and the coarse sensor receiver is located on a second side of the second printed circuit board opposite the first side. In some cases, a first distance between the first side of the second printed circuit board and the first printed circuit board is less than a second distance between the second side of the second printed circuit board and the first printed circuit board.

[0078] The method also includes generating, by the interface circuit, an output angle value using the plurality of precision sensor signals and the plurality of coarse sensor signals (block 1004). In various embodiments, generating the output angle value includes performing a plurality of analog-to-digital conversion operations on the plurality of precision sensor signals and the plurality of coarse sensor signals. The method ends at block 1005.

[0079] Steering Fig.11 , depicts a block diagram of a system configured to control the rotation of a portion of a mechanical device. As shown, system 1100 includes control circuitry 1101 and a mechanical device 1102, the mechanical device including sensor subsystem 100. In various embodiments, system 1100 can be used as part of a servo motor control mechanism, a robotic limb control mechanism, a collaborative robot control mechanism, or any other suitable control mechanism.

[0080] Control circuit 1101 is configured to receive input signal 1103. In various embodiments, input signal 1103 can be a digital circuit or an analog circuit whose value indicates an amount of rotation to cause all or a portion of mechanical device 1102. In various embodiments, control circuit 1101 can be configured to generate control signal 1104 using input signal 1103.

[0081] In response to receiving control signal 1104, mechanical device 1102 can be configured to rotate at least a portion of itself, such as a robotic limb. For example, mechanical device 1102 can be configured to activate a motor in response to activation of control signal 1104. The motor can then cause a portion of mechanical device 1102 to rotate while control signal 1104 is active.

[0082] As described above, sensor subsystem 100 is configured to generate rotation angle 1105 based on the rotation of a portion of mechanical device 1102. In various embodiments, rotation angle 1105 can be a word of digital data including any suitable number of bits to achieve a desired resolution for rotation angle 1105.

[0083] The control circuit 1101 may further be configured to deactivate the control signal 1104 based on the rotation angle 1105. In various embodiments, the control circuit 1101 may be configured to compare the rotation angle 1105 to the desired rotation angle. In response to determining that the rotation angle 1105 is within a threshold of the desired rotation angle, the control circuit 1101 may deactivate the control signal 1104. The control circuit 1101 may be implemented using a controller.

[0084] ****

[0085] The present disclosure includes references to "an embodiment" or "groups of embodiments." As used herein, an embodiment is a different specific implementation of an example of a disclosed concept. References to "an embodiment," "some embodiments," and the like do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Many embodiments are possible and contemplated, including those specifically disclosed as well as modifications or substitutions that fall within the spirit or scope of the present disclosure.

[0086] The above disclosure is intended to illustrate the principles of the disclosed concepts and some of the various embodiments. Once the above disclosure is fully understood, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. The following claims are interpreted as being intended to include all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A device, comprising: A precision rotor, wherein the precision rotor is located on the first printed circuit board; a metal rough rotor coupled to the first printed circuit board; a precision sensor receiver configured to generate a plurality of precision sensor signals based on a first rotation of the precision rotor, wherein the precision sensor receiver is located on a second printed circuit board separate from the first printed circuit board; and A coarse sensor receiver is configured to generate a plurality of coarse sensor signals based on a second rotation of the metallic coarse rotor, wherein the coarse sensor receiver is located on the second printed circuit board.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first printed circuit board is coupled to the metal rough rotor using at least one screw.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first printed circuit board is coupled to the metal rough rotor using glue.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an insulating washer between the metal rough rotor and the first printed circuit board.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein: A first distance between the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board is smaller than a second distance between the metal rough rotor and the second printed circuit board. 6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an interface circuit configured to generate an output angle value using the plurality of fine sensor signals and the plurality of coarse sensor signals.

7. A method comprising: generating, by a precision sensor receiver, a plurality of precision sensor signals based on rotating a precision rotor included on a first printed circuit board; generating, by a coarse sensor receiver, a plurality of coarse sensor signals based on rotationally coupling a metal coarse rotor to the first printed circuit board; as well as The plurality of fine sensor signals and the plurality of coarse sensor signals are used by an interface circuit to generate an output angle value.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The metal rough rotor is coupled to the first printed circuit board using at least one screw.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The metal rough rotor is coupled to the first printed circuit board using glue.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The metal coarse rotor is coupled to the first printed circuit board via an insulating washer.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The fine sensor receiver and the coarse sensor receiver are located on a second printed circuit board separate from the first printed circuit board.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The fine sensor receiver and the coarse sensor receiver are located on a common side of the second printed circuit board.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: A first distance between the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board is smaller than a second distance between the metal rough rotor and the second printed circuit board.

14. A device, comprising: a first printed circuit board, the first printed circuit board comprising a fine sensor receiver and a coarse sensor receiver; as well as A second printed circuit board, wherein the second printed circuit board comprises: a precision coil configured to magnetically couple to the precision sensor receiver; and A coarse coil is configured to magnetically couple to the coarse sensor receiver.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein: The first count per revolution of the fine coil is greater than the second count per revolution of the coarse coil.

16. The device according to claim 14, wherein: The fine coil is located on a first side of the second printed circuit board, and wherein the coarse coil is located on a second side of the second printed circuit board opposite the first side.

17. The device according to claim 14, wherein: The fine sensor receiver and the coarse sensor receiver are located on a common side of the first printed circuit board.

18. The device according to claim 14, wherein: The fine sensor receiver is located on a first side of the first printed circuit board, and wherein the coarse sensor receiver is located on a second side of the first printed circuit board opposite the first side.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein: A first distance between the first side of the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board is smaller than a second distance between the second side of the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board.

20. The device according to claim 14, wherein: The precision sensor receiver is configured to generate a plurality of precision sensor signals based on a first rotation of the precision coil, wherein the coarse sensor receiver is configured to generate a plurality of coarse sensor signals based on a second rotation of the coarse coil, and wherein the apparatus further comprises an interface circuit configured to generate an output angle value using the plurality of precision sensor signals and the plurality of coarse sensor signals.

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