Sensor device for position sensor and sensor system with such sensor device

Abstract

To provide a sensor device for a position sensor and a sensor system with such a sensor device with lower manufacturing costs compared to conventional devices and systems.SOLUTION: According to some exemplary embodiments, a sensor device for a position sensor, preferably a rotor position sensor, with a printed circuit board is provided. The sensor device includes a primary winding, at least one secondary winding, and a device body. At least one of the primary winding and the at least one secondary winding are formed at least partially by a bendable conductor wire. One of the bendable conductor wire of the primary winding and of the at least one secondary winding is mounted completely on a surface portion of the device body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sensor device for a position sensor, preferably a rotor position sensor, and to a sensor system having such a sensor device. In particular, the present invention relates to a sensor device for use in a position sensor, with a target element rotatably arranged relative to the sensor device, for detecting the angular position of the target element relative to the sensor device.

[0002] Related technologies In many technical fields, it is necessary to determine the position of a moving object with a precision predetermined by the respective application. For this purpose, many sensor systems have been developed in which the relative position between at least two elements can be measured with sufficient precision, for example, through optical, electrical, magnetic, and other interactions. In particular, sensor configurations are often used in technical fields where extremely harsh environmental conditions prevail, such as high operating temperatures combined with high magnetic fields, which can be caused by high operating currents. In such sensor configurations, the position-dependent generation of eddy currents is used to determine the position of the component. For this purpose, and in some examples of such eddy current sensor configurations, the attenuation of one or more coils caused by eddy currents is detected, where one or more coils are provided as stationary components, and the moving component has a track made of a suitable material, which causes the position-dependent generation of eddy currents and therefore attenuation. Based on this position-dependent generation of eddy currents, the position of the moving track relative to one or more stationary coils can be determined by correlating the induced attenuation with the specific shape of the track.

[0003] An illustrative example of such an application is determining the rotor position of an electric machine in order to determine appropriate control signals for supplying appropriate current and voltage values. For example, in many cases where the electric machine requires highly variable speeds and reasonably wide control bandwidths, it is important to obtain output voltage signals from the sensor system with high time resolution in order to determine the rotor position with relative accuracy. To efficiently operate a permanent magnet synchronous machine, for example, it is necessary to know the rotor's position within an angular segment corresponding to the pole number with high precision in order to supply the stator windings with the appropriate current to achieve the desired operating mode. Non-contact sensor configurations based on coils are often used for this purpose. However, they require relatively large spaces for the coils and associated evaluation electronics. Electric machines often require very close spatial coupling between the target element and the rotor, which can generate high currents and relatively high temperatures with correspondingly high magnetic fields in the vicinity of the target element, potentially causing interference in the coil's output signal. This sensitivity also ultimately reduces the spatial resolution of the rotor's position. In addition to the desired interference immunity to high magnetic fields, adaptation of the sensor configuration to the operating conditions of the electric machine, e.g., with respect to prevailing temperatures, required speed ranges, etc., is also desirable.

[0004] In addition to the above aspects, regardless of the particular application, the provision and integration of the components of the sensor system requires a high degree of consistent precision in the manufacture, e.g., mass production, of the sensor array, which allows the sensor array to function consistently without the need for extensive calibration work upon installation in the end application.

[0005] Commercially available evaluation circuits typically use a large primary winding surrounding at least two sinusoidal secondary coils. When using a rotor position encoder with such an evaluation circuit, a rectangular encoder element modifies the coupling between the primary and secondary coils, which is implemented as a planar coil in printed circuit board technology. Conventional evaluation circuits for rotor position sensors use a circular printed circuit board with four layers, with the planar coils for the primary and secondary coils typically formed on two of the four layers, and an additional layer dedicated to the integrated circuitry of the evaluation circuit.

[0006] German Patent Application No. 102016202877 shows a rotation angle sensor having a stator element with a transmitter coil and at least two receiver coils arranged in the transmitter coil, the stator element being arranged on a printed circuit board, and a rotor element mounted so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation relative to the stator element, the transmitter coil being inductively coupled to the at least two receiver coils via the rotor element, such that the inductive coupling depends on the angle of rotation between the stator element and the rotor element, and the transmitter coil inducing at least two angle-dependent AC voltages in the at least two receiver coils. The rotor element and the at least two receiver coils are designed so that an AC voltage is induced in the receiver coil, the amplitude of which depends sinusoidally on the angle of rotation. The at least two receiving coils are constructed from electrically connected conductor tracks in the form of circular arcs, so that each of the at least two receiving coils is constructed from partial windings oriented in opposite directions with respect to the current flow, each partial winding being bounded in the radial direction by at least one circular arc-shaped conductor track curved to the left and at least one opposing circular arc-shaped conductor track curved to the right.

[0007] A planar linear inductive position sensor is known from DE 112019006893 A1, which comprises a substrate, at least one oscillator coil, a first sensor coil having opposing edges extending across opposing edges of the oscillator coil along a linear axis along which the linear position of a conductive object is to be detected, and a second sensor coil having opposing edges extending across opposing edges of the voice coil along the linear axis. The first and second sensor coils have geometries selected such that equal and opposite magnetic fields are induced in the first and second sensor coils in the presence of a magnetic field generated by the oscillator coil when no conductive object to be measured is present in the vicinity of the first and second sensor coils, and unequal and opposite magnetic fields are induced in the first and second sensor coils when a conductive measurement object is present in the vicinity of the first and second sensor coils. The difference between the unequal and opposite magnetic fields induced in the first and second sensor coils correlates with the position of the conductive measurement object.

[0008] The commercially available evaluation circuits mentioned above are expensive, as the price of a printed circuit board is based primarily on the number of layers and the area required.

[0009] In view of the above-mentioned current situation, it is desirable to provide a sensor device for a position sensor and a sensor system having such a sensor device that has low manufacturing costs compared to conventional devices and systems.

[0010] overview The sensor device and sensor system according to the invention are used to determine the position of an object that has moved and / or displaced relative to a reference object, for example in a rotor position sensor for determining the angle of an object that is twisted or rotating relative to a reference object.

[0011] At least some of the problems of the state of the art are solved in various aspects of the present disclosure by a common inventive concept of reducing the cost of printed circuit boards in conventional position sensors in sensor devices according to the present invention and in sensor systems having such sensor devices. The solution presented herein in various aspects is achieved by at least partially replacing expensive printed circuit boards with less expensive printed circuit boards or with wire windings formed at least partially from one or more bendable conductor wires provided outside the printed circuit board.

[0012] Conductor wire refers to a bendable or flexible wire that can be temporarily wound onto a cylindrical bobbin for storage and unwound from the bobbin as needed. Conductor wire is a self-supporting structure, in contrast to conductor tracks on a printed circuit board, which are formed as deposited and patterned tracks that are not independent of the printed circuit board (i.e., the conductor tracks do not exist without the surface on which they are formed). In other words, a conductor wire according to this specification exists within itself and is independent of whether it is attached to a printed circuit board. In this sense, "bendable conductor wire" and "self-supporting conductor wire" should be understood as inherent features that designate a conductor wire, such as a conductor wire in the original sense of the term, which designates a conductive wire as an independent structural feature independent of additional structures such as a surface, carrier, or printed circuit board. In this application, "bendable conductor wire" and "self-supporting conductor wire" may be interchangeable.

[0013] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a sensor arrangement for a position sensor, e.g. a rotor position sensor, or in general a position sensor for detecting not only the position of an electric machine rotor, but also the position of any rotating part, e.g. a part flanged to the electric machine rotor, e.g. via a gearbox, or a rotating part which rotates only in a limited angular range or which rotates continuously. For example, the sensor arrangement is applied to a resolver.

[0014] In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sensor device directed to a position sensor and having a printed circuit board. In certain exemplary embodiments of the first aspect, the sensor device may be provided as a sensor device for a rotor position sensor.

[0015] In an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, the sensor device includes a device body, a primary winding, and at least one secondary winding, wherein at least one of the primary winding and the at least one secondary winding is at least partially formed by a conductor wire. The conductor wire of the primary winding and / or the conductor wire of the at least one secondary winding may be completely attached to a surface portion of the device body, e.g., the conductor wire of the primary winding and / or the conductor wire of the at least one secondary winding may be completely attached to a surface portion of the device body. The primary winding and / or the at least one secondary winding may be entirely formed by a conductor wire, e.g., the conductor wire of the primary winding and / or the conductor wire of the at least one secondary winding may be completely attached to a surface portion of the device body. For example, the conductor wire of the primary winding and / or the conductor wire of the at least one secondary winding may be completely attached to a surface portion of the device body.

[0016] In some illustrative examples herein, the conductor wire of the primary winding and / or the conductor wire of at least one secondary winding may be partially or completely attached to a surface portion of the device body by an adhesive, such as a resin or an epoxy resin. Grooves, such as those described herein below, may be formed, and the wire forming the winding routed within the groove may be partially or completely embedded in the adhesive.

[0017] In exemplary embodiments, the device body may not include electrical and / or electronic components therein. In particular, electrical and / or electronic components may not be integrated into the device body. The device body serves only as a support for the primary winding and / or secondary winding, and optionally for a printed circuit board for mounting on the surface of the device body.

[0018] According to the description in this specification, the conductor wire is a wire-like conductor that can be formed, for example, from a piece of wire. For example, the piece of wire can be a round or rectangular piece of wire, and the conductor wire is completely attached to the surface portion of the surface of the device body. In this case, the conductor wire at least partially forms at least one planar coil of the primary winding and at least one secondary winding arranged on the surface portion of the device body. According to an illustrative example, the primary winding and / or the secondary winding can be entirely formed from a round or rectangular wire.

[0019] Thus, the sensor device may be provided at low manufacturing costs, with the device body acting as a coil body or carrier for the primary and secondary windings of the sensor device. For example, a device body provided as an injection molded body may be easily manufactured in large quantities with high precision or repeatability at low manufacturing costs. Because the printed circuit board used with the sensor device according to the present invention is no longer limited in size and shape by the intended function of the device body for the sensor device, the corresponding device body may also provide a sustainable component because it can be used in the process of common parts sharing with printed circuit boards that can be used in several projects.

[0020] In some examples herein, the device body may carry only the primary and secondary windings on its surface. The device body may not include any integrated electrical and / or electronic components such that no electrical and / or electronic components are present within the device body. Thus, interference between the windings and components mounted on the device body may be reduced.

[0021] In various exemplary embodiments of the first aspect, the device body is provided at most partially as a printed circuit board of the sensor device. In particular exemplary examples, the device body does not function as a printed circuit board of the sensor device. For example, the device body may not be provided as a printed circuit board at all, and may be provided separately from the printed circuit board of the sensor device, i.e., the device body may be an additional element provided in addition to the printed circuit board and windings in the sensor device. For example, at least one conductor wire of the primary winding and the conductor wire of at least one secondary winding are mounted completely independently of the printed circuit board. In particular exemplary examples herein, the conductor wire of the primary winding and / or the conductor wire of the at least one secondary winding may be mounted entirely on a surface portion of the surface of the device body outside any printed circuit board.

[0022] In various exemplary embodiments of the first aspect, a sensor device includes a primary winding and at least one secondary winding, where at least one of the primary winding and the at least one secondary winding is at least partially formed by a conductor wire, and a device body, where the conductor wire of the primary winding and / or the at least one secondary winding is completely attached to a surface portion of the device body.

[0023] In some illustrative examples herein, the device body may be easily adapted to several numbers of pole pairs, and the primary and / or secondary windings may be realized at least partially independently of the printed circuit board.

[0024] In some illustrative and non-limiting examples of the first embodiment, the primary winding and the two secondary windings may be mounted on, for example, attached to, the device body, thereby enabling accurate positioning of the position sensor during operation of the sensor device.

[0025] In a first embodiment of the first aspect, the conductor wire may be routed as a planar coil portion. For example, the conductor wire may be routed in a sinusoidal coil path in the planar coil portion. In this way, a compact sensor device with a reduced overall height can be achieved.

[0026] In a second embodiment of the first aspect, the device body may include a groove through which at least one conductor wire of the primary winding and at least one secondary winding is completely routed. The groove may be formed at least partially in a surface portion of the device body and formed as a shallow groove therein. Here, a shallow groove is a groove whose depth (measured as a dimension of the groove along a direction parallel to the surface perpendicular to the surface portion into the device body) is smaller than any dimension of the groove measured perpendicular thereto, for example, at most one-fifth, one-tenth, or one-twentieth. Routed conductor wire within the groove prevents the conductor wire from significantly protruding from the device body, thus avoiding damage to the winding during operation. Furthermore, the overall height of the sensor device may be reduced.

[0027] In some illustrative examples of the second embodiment, the groove may have a coil-receiving groove portion, for example, the coil-receiving groove portion may be formed as a ring-shaped coil groove portion within the device body. The coil-receiving groove portion is laterally bounded by the web portion on the surface of the device body. Therefore, it may be easy to encapsulate the winding placed in the coil-receiving groove portion with the web portion laterally defining the groove.

[0028] In some other illustrative examples of the second embodiment, the groove may further include a printed circuit board receiving portion configured to completely receive the printed circuit board, and the groove is formed on only one surface of the device body. By providing a corresponding groove, a low-profile sensor device can be provided when the printed circuit board is attached to the device body.

[0029] In a third embodiment of the first aspect, the device body may be in the form of a plate-like or disk-like body, and the groove may be formed in a surface of the device body perpendicular to the smallest dimension of the device body. Thus, an advantageous design of the device body may be provided for applications intended to detect angular position, such as a rotor position sensor.

[0030] In a fourth embodiment of the first aspect, the sensor device may further include a printed circuit board attached to the device body and connected to at least one of the primary winding and the at least one secondary winding of the device body. The printed circuit board may be selected in terms of shape and size independent of the intended use of the sensor device, thereby enabling the selection of a very compact printed circuit board or retroactively replacing the printed circuit board to reconfigure an existing sensor device in a simple and cost-effective manner. For example, a circuit board having a minimal surface area, i.e., an area defined only by the circuitry integrated on and / or within the circuit board, and having a small number of layers, or fewer than four layers, for example, or only two layers or only one layer, may be used.

[0031] In a fifth embodiment of the first aspect, the printed circuit board is 19,000 mm 2 In other words, the printed circuit board may have a device body with an area of ​​less than 19,000 mm 2 In the illustrative example herein, the area may cover a surface portion of the device body of up to 18,500 mm 2 or up to 18,000 mm 2 or up to 15,000 mm 2 or up to 10,000mm 2 or up to 5,000 mm 2 For example, the area may be up to 3,000 mm 2 , for example, up to 2,000 mm 2 or up to 1,500 mm 2 or up to 1,300 mm 2For example, a very compact and cost-effective printed circuit board may be selected without limiting the capabilities of the integrated circuits on the printed circuit board.

[0032] In a sixth embodiment of the first aspect, the circuit board may include fewer than four layers. For example, the circuit board may have a maximum of two layers.

[0033] In a seventh embodiment of the first aspect, the printed circuit board may comprise only contacts, individual electrical components, and an integrated circuit. In this case, the contacts are connected to the electrical components by conductor tracks, and the electrical components provide at least one capacitor and / or at least one resistor as one or more individual components. The printed circuit board may be connected to the primary winding and the secondary winding via the contacts. Furthermore, the integrated circuit may represent at least a portion of an integrated evaluation and / or drive circuit connected to the primary winding and / or at least one secondary winding. In this case, only components and conductor tracks of minimum length are provided on the printed circuit board, allowing for a very compact design of the printed circuit board.

[0034] In a second aspect, a sensor device for a position sensor, preferably a rotor position sensor, is provided with a printed circuit board. In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the sensor device according to the second aspect includes a primary winding, at least one secondary winding, a device body, and a printed circuit board. At least one of the primary winding and the at least one secondary winding is at least partially formed by a flexible conductor wire. The printed circuit board is attached, for example, to the device body together with the primary winding and at least one conductor wire of the at least one secondary winding. At least one conductor wire of the primary winding and the at least one conductor wire of the at least one secondary winding may be completely attached to the outside of the printed circuit board on a surface portion of the device body. For example, the conductor wire of the primary winding and / or the at least one secondary winding may be completely attached to the surface portion of the device body. The flexible conductor wire is a flexible wire-like conductor formed from a piece of wire, for example, a round or rectangular piece of wire, and the conductor wire is completely routed and attached to a surface portion, for example, a region of the surface of the device body outside the printed circuit board. The conductor wire thereby at least partially forms at least one planar coil of a primary winding and at least one secondary winding arranged on the planar portion of the device body.

[0035] Thus, the sensor device can be provided at low manufacturing costs, with the device body acting as a coil former or carrier for the primary and secondary windings of the sensor device. For example, the device body may be provided as an injection-molded body so that it can be easily manufactured in large quantities with high precision or repeatability at low manufacturing costs. The corresponding device body can be a sustainable component because it can be used in the process of common parts sharing with printed circuit boards that can be used for several projects. The printed circuit board used with the sensor device according to the present invention is no longer sized and shaped to function as the device body of the sensor device.

[0036] In various exemplary embodiments herein, the device body is provided at most partially as a printed circuit board of the sensor device. In some specific, but non-limiting examples herein, the device body may not be provided as a printed circuit board. Thus, the device body may be provided completely separate from the printed circuit board of the sensor device, or may be provided exclusively as an additional element in addition to the printed circuit board and windings within the sensor device.

[0037] In some exemplary embodiments of the second aspect, the sensor device may further comprise at least one further feature defined in one of the embodiments of the first aspect, in particular in one of the first to fifth embodiments of the first aspect.

[0038] In a third aspect, a sensor device having a printed circuit board for a position sensor, preferably a rotor position sensor, is provided. In an exemplary embodiment herein, the sensor device according to the second aspect includes at least two circuit boards electrically connected to each other. Furthermore, the sensor device according to the third aspect includes a primary winding and at least one secondary winding, and at least one of the primary winding and the at least one secondary winding is at least partially integrated as at least partially integrated wiring on at least one of the at least two circuit boards. By using multiple circuit boards, at least one of the circuit boards may be used as a relatively inexpensive circuit board for partially integrated wiring, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the sensor device.

[0039] In some exemplary embodiments of the third aspect, the at least two circuit boards may include a two-layer circuit board and a more than two-layer circuit board, i.e., a circuit board with more than two layers. In this case, the printed circuit board with only two layers provides a relatively inexpensive printed circuit board compared to a printed circuit board with three or more layers. The printed circuit board with three or more layers may be provided as a printed circuit board on which additional integrated circuit structures can be integrated, thereby reducing the use of expensive printed circuit boards by further using printed circuit boards with only two layers. For example, a circuit board with three or more layers may also integrate at least a portion of the evaluation and drive circuitry of one or more of the windings connected thereto. Additionally or alternatively, at least one winding may be fully integrated into a circuit board with only two layers.

[0040] In a further exemplary embodiment of the third aspect, the sensor device may further include a device body, such as an injection-molded body. At least two printed circuit boards may be attached to the device body. Alternatively or additionally, at least one of the primary winding and the at least one secondary winding may be formed at most partially by conductor wire. Therefore, a surface may be provided for the windings without using a printed circuit board, so that manufacturing costs can be further reduced.

[0041] In a fourth aspect, a sensor system is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the sensor system comprises a sensor device according to at least one of the first to third aspects and a target element rotatably arranged relative to the sensor device, the target element having a target pattern formed of a conductive material. In this way, the advantages and positive effects of the sensor device according to the first and / or second and / or third aspects are transferred to the sensor system according to the fourth aspect.

[0042] In the sensor system of the fourth aspect, the angular position between the sensor device and the target element is advantageously detected as the target element moves relative to the sensor device. Relative rotational motion between the target element and the sensing device, caused by rotational motion of a rotor, which in certain applications may be the rotor of an electric machine, can generate a voltage in the secondary winding that depends on the instantaneous position of the target element relative to the sensing device. In other words, the magnetic field generated by the primary winding circuit is modulated by the target element, and the modulated magnetic field induces a voltage signal in the secondary winding of the sensor device. The voltage signal represents a signal modulated by the target pattern of the target element of the electrical signal applied to the primary winding circuit, where the target pattern has a shape that changes angularly along the trajectory of the target element relative to the sensor device. The shape of the target pattern changes in response to changes in the angle between the target element and the secondary winding.

[0043] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for manufacturing a sensor device having a printed circuit board for a position sensor, preferably a rotor position sensor. In an exemplary embodiment herein, the method includes providing a bendable conductor wire, providing a device body, providing at least one of a primary winding and at least one secondary winding, wherein the at least one of the primary winding and at least one secondary winding is at least partially formed by the bendable conductor wire on a surface of the device body, and providing a printed circuit board (6) attached to the device body and connected to the at least one of the primary winding and at least one secondary winding.

[0044] In the sensor device according to the first, second, and / or third aspects, the primary and secondary windings may be provided as air coils, meaning that they are provided without a magnetizable core. In this case, since there is no magnetic core material in the coil, external magnetic fields do not contribute to magnetization or saturation, or contribute only to a tolerable extent, and the resulting output signal is relatively immune to interference from strong magnetic fields, such as those generated in electric machines. Therefore, if the target pattern is at least partially constructed from an electrically / magnetically conductive material, eddy current losses in the target pattern can be used to affect the output signal of the sensor device. Therefore, the sensor device can withstand interference from electromagnetic influences according to the first, second, and / or third aspects.

[0045] The method according to the fifth aspect may be used to manufacture a sensor device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, and an embodiment of any one of the first to fourth aspects may be combined with the fifth aspect.

[0046] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further advantages and exemplary embodiments of the above aspects of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0047] [Figure 1] 1b and 1b are schematic diagrams illustrating a top view and a cross-sectional view of a sensor device according to some exemplary embodiments, respectively, along line 1b-1b of FIG. 1a. [Figure 2a] 1A and 1B illustrate schematic diagrams of layers of a printed circuit board in plan view, according to some exemplary embodiments; [Figure 2b] 1A and 1B illustrate schematic diagrams of layers of a printed circuit board in plan view, according to some exemplary embodiments; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a sensor system in accordance with some illustrative embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0048] Detailed Description Various exemplary embodiments described below may relate to the application of the sensor device in a rotor position sensor, which as such is not limited to this application, unless expressly stated.

[0049] According to an exemplary embodiment, a rotor position sensor generally comprises a sensor system for detecting an angular position between a sensor device of the sensor system and a target element of the sensor system.

[0050] For example, the target element may be a reference object that moves relative to the sensor device or a fixed reference object relative to the sensor device that moves relative to it. The target element is formed from an electrically / magnetically conductive material and has a target pattern that changes in an angle-dependent manner during a complete rotation (i.e., a 360° rotation about the axis of rotation of the target element relative to the sensor device), thereby detecting the angular position between the sensor device and the target element.

[0051] In a rotor position sensor having a passive target element, the sensor device has a primary winding circuit that generates a magnetic field that is modulated by the target pattern of the target element. The correspondingly modulated magnetic field in turn induces a correspondingly modulated electrical signal in at least one secondary winding of the sensor device. From a comparison of the electrical signal applied to the primary winding circuit to generate the magnetic field and the electrical signal output by the at least one secondary winding in response thereto, the angular position between the target element and the sensor device can be determined.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 1 , a sensor apparatus 10 for a rotor position sensor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described for detecting an angular position between the sensor apparatus 10 in a sensor system (not shown) and a target element (not shown) of the sensor system (not shown).

[0053] 1 shows a schematic plan view of a sensor device 10 having a device body 2 and a coil structure 4 attached to the device body 2. The coil structure 4 may, according to the embodiment shown, comprise a primary winding 4a and at least one secondary winding 4b (although in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 approximately two secondary windings are provided, more than two secondary windings may also be provided, such as four or more secondary windings).

[0054] In the illustrative example of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , device body 2 may be provided as an easy and inexpensive carrier body to manufacture, particularly as a body suitable for use as a coil carrier body. For example, device body 2 may be provided as an injection molded body, which may be easily and reproducibly manufactured. Particularly illustrative, but non-limiting, examples of possible materials for manufacturing device body 2 may include thermoplastics, which may be complemented by additives and fillers for the injection molding process and the subsequent specific use of device body 2 in a particular application, for example, but not limited to, use as a device body for a position sensor in a vehicle construction.

[0055] For example, the material for manufacturing the device body 2 may be, but is not limited to, at least one of polyolefin, polypropylene, Plexiglas (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), polystyrene (PS), copolymers of PS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene: ABS), polyamide (PA), polyoxymethylene (POM), and many other engineered plastics.

[0056] Referring to the diagram of FIG. 1 , the device body 2 is formed by a coil carrier body portion 2a and an optional printed circuit board carrier portion 2b, which may be integrally formed with the coil carrier body portion 2a or designed to carry an optional printed circuit board 6. For example, the coil carrier body portion 2a may have a shape based on or determined by the shape and configuration of the coil structure 4. Referring to FIG. 1 , the coil carrier body portion 2a is formed as an annular device body portion. However, without being limited thereto, depending on the application of the linear position sensor, the coil carrier body portion 2a may have a linear or elongated device body portion rather than an annular device body portion without affecting the following description. In particular, the preceding and following descriptions of further structural and functional features of the sensor device 10 of FIG. 1 do not depend on the specific design of the device body portion 2a, unless explicitly stated.

[0057] In some particular illustrative examples, the device body 2 may be designed as a plate-shaped or disk-shaped body, as shown in FIG. 1 . In particular, the coil carrier body portion 2 a may be designed as a disk-shaped body. The terms “disk-shaped” and “plate-shaped” should be understood to mean that the smallest dimension of the body is oriented perpendicular to the surface on which the coil structure 4 is arranged. Alternatively, the device body may be a linear strip-shaped body (not shown).

[0058] Continuing to refer to FIG. 1 , the circuit board carrier portion 2b is oriented transversely to the extension direction of the coil structure 4 and extends transversely to the extension direction of the coil structure 4 away from the device body portion 2a. The extension direction of the coil structure 4 is defined as the direction in which the bendable conductor wires of the coil structure 4 mainly extend between connections, with the term "mainly" being understood as a percentage of more than 50%, particularly more than 70%, measured from the total length. The printed circuit board carrier portion 2b is of a size sufficient to hold the printed circuit board 6, so that the printed circuit board 6 may be attached (attachable) to the device body 2 by the printed circuit board carrier portion 2b. The term "attachable" is understood to mean permanently or removably attached.

[0059] In an illustrative example, as shown in Fig. 1, each of the primary winding 4a and the secondary winding 4b may be formed by a bendable conductor wire completely attached to a surface portion of the surface of the device body 2. The bendable conductor wire of each winding 4a, 4b in the coil structure 4 may be routed as a planar coil portion, preferably with a sinusoidal coil routed within the planar coil portion of the secondary winding 4b, as shown in Fig. 1, while the bendable conductor wire of the primary winding 4a is routed in a circular shape so that the secondary winding is completely enclosed within the surface primary winding 4a.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 1 , in some exemplary embodiments, the sensor device 10 may include a groove 8 formed in a surface portion of the surface of the device body 2. The groove 8 is formed as a recess in the connector body 2, and the recess is formed in the coil carrier body portion 2a. The recess corresponds to the routing of the coil structure 4 as a coil-receiving groove portion 8a after routing of the coil structure 4 to receive the coil structure 4 in the coil carrier body portion 2a, whereby the coil structure 4 is received and embedded in the coil-receiving groove portion 8a so as to enter an area portion of the surface of the device body 2. The surface portion of the surface of the device body 2 is oriented substantially perpendicular to a plane substantially defined by the coil structure 4. In other words, an imaginary plane is defined by the coil structure 4 in that the coil structure 4 is essentially routed within a plane that may, for example, coincide with the surface of the device body 2 on which the coil structure 4 is disposed. The coil structure 4 may be routed completely within the groove 8.

[0061] In the illustrated example of the ring-shaped coil carrier body portion 2a, the coil-accommodating groove portion 8a is formed in the device body 2 as a ring-shaped groove laterally bounded by the web portions 2c1 and 2c2. Generally, at least one web portion may be provided corresponding to at least one of the web portions 2c1 and 2c2 to define the groove 8 on at least one surface of the coil carrier body portion 2a. However, in the case of a linear position sensor, this is not limiting, as linear coil carrier portions may be formed including respective linear coil-accommodating groove portions.

[0062] The printed circuit board carrier portion 2b may be formed as a plate-like protrusion on the coil carrier body portion 2a, and the plate-like protrusion may be smaller than, the same size as, or larger than the printed circuit board 6. As shown in FIG. 1 , when the printed circuit board carrier portion 2b is formed larger than the printed circuit board 6, the printed circuit board 6 may be inserted into a printed circuit board accommodating groove portion 8b formed in the printed circuit board carrier body portion 2b. The printed circuit board accommodating groove portion 8b may be defined by a web portion 2d that at least partially surrounds the printed circuit board accommodating groove portion 8b. In an illustrative example, as shown in FIG. 1 , the printed circuit board accommodating groove portion 8b may be communicably connected to the coil accommodating groove portion 8a, such that the groove 8 is formed by the groove portions 8a and 8b.

[0063] One or more mounting portions 9, each having a mounting hole 9a, may be formed in the device body 2, and the mounting portions 9 may protrude laterally from the coil carrier body portion 2a and may be used to mount the sensor device to another object (not shown). The mounting holes 9a may be provided with a reinforcing structure 9b having an optional internal thread, for example a metal ring inserted into the mounting hole 9a.

[0064] 1 is optimized to minimize the manufacturing costs of the sensor device 10 while minimizing the size of the printed circuit board 6. To achieve this, the primary winding 4a and the secondary winding 4b of the coil structure 4 are at least partially designed as bendable wires, and each is formed by a bendable conductor wire. Therefore, the footprint area of ​​the printed circuit board 6 in the sensor device can be minimized, as the printed circuit board 6 is only required for the assembly of individual components such as integrated circuits and components required for the processing circuit.

[0065] A method of manufacturing the sensor device 10 may include providing a bendable conductor wire; providing a device body 2; providing one of a primary winding 4a and at least one secondary winding 4b, wherein at least one of the primary winding 4a and the at least one secondary winding 4b is at least partially formed by the bendable conductor wire on a surface of the device body 2; and providing a circuit board 6 connected to at least one of the primary winding 4a and the at least one secondary winding 4b on the device body 2 and mounted to the device body 2.

[0066] 2a and 2b, two layers of a printed circuit board 6 are shown in plan view. According to Figures 2a and 2b, the printed circuit board 6 may only have contacts CP, individual electrical components such as a capacitor K and one or more electrical resistors, and an integrated circuit (such as chip C). Chip C may at least partially comprise integrated evaluation and / or drive circuits and may be connected to the primary winding 4a and the secondary winding 4b by conductor tracks B using contacts CP.

[0067] Figure 2a may show an upper layer of a printed circuit board 6, with vias V1, V2, V3, V4 connecting the upper layer to a lower layer shown in Figure 2b in a manner that may minimize the printed circuit board area of ​​the printed circuit board 6. Vias V1-V4 may connect a conductor track B on the upper layer with a conductor track B' on the lower layer.

[0068] In an illustrative example, the circuit board 6 is 45×29 mm=1,300 mm 2 which may have a size of 19,000 mm 2 This corresponds to a reduction of approximately 93% in circuit boards used in conventional applications having a size exceeding 100 mm. Furthermore, the number of layers of the printed circuit board 6 may be reduced from the previous four layers in conventional printed circuit boards to two layers in the printed circuit board 6, which also results in a reduction in the price of the printed circuit board 6 compared to conventional printed circuit boards.

[0069] In some exemplary embodiments, the sensor device 10 may represent a rotor position sensor of an electric machine. In this case, a target pattern (not shown) may be attached to an axial surface of a rotor (not shown), for example, the rotor of an electric machine (not shown), and the target pattern (not shown) may optionally be movable with the rotor (not shown). In an exemplary example, the electric machine (not shown) may be a permanently magnetically excited machine in which an angular signal is used for electrical commutation. Further, the sensor device 10 is provided, which may be positioned axially opposite the target pattern (not shown). The target pattern (not shown) and the sensor device 10 form a sensor system for the rotor position sensor, and the target pattern (not shown) is positioned rotatably relative to the sensor device 10.

[0070] According to illustrative examples herein, the target structure (not shown) may be mounted directly on a suitable substrate (not shown) or directly within the base material of a rotor (not shown) seated on a shaft (not shown), which may be understood to represent a material intended for the function of the rotor (not shown), such as a material for holding components (not shown), e.g., magnets, of an electric machine (not shown).

[0071] For example, sensor device 10 may include a plurality of windings (not shown) and electronic circuitry (not shown) that processes signals output by the windings and outputs them as position signals, such as electrical signals such as voltage amplitude, differential voltage, current amplitude, differential current, frequency, phase angle, etc. The angle of rotation of a rotor (not shown) relative to sensor device 10 may be derived from these electrical signals output by the electronic circuitry (not shown).

[0072] Referring to Figure 3, a sensor system 20 is shown having a sensor device 10' and a target element. The target element is illustrated in Figure 3 by a target pattern 22 of the target element. Although the target pattern 22 is shown as a sinusoidally varying pattern, no limitation is implied and alternative target patterns may be used, such as a rectangular target pattern that is smaller than one period of the coil structure. The direction of movement, e.g., the direction of rotation of the rotor position sensor, in which the target element moves relative to the sensor device 10' is indicated schematically in Figure 3 by arrow 24.

[0073] Sensor apparatus 10' may correspond to sensor apparatus 10 described with reference to Figures 1-2 above, and the structural and functional elements described with reference to sensor apparatus 10 apply to sensor apparatus 10' unless otherwise explicitly described below, redundant repetition of description is avoided for the sake of brevity, and the description of sensor apparatus 10 is incorporated by reference in its entirety in the context of sensor apparatus 10'.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 3, the sensor device 10′ includes multiple primary windings 12 and multiple secondary windings 14. These windings are attached to the device body. The multiple primary windings 12 may include two primary windings 12a-12b, but are not limited to this. Alternatively, one primary winding superimposed on a secondary coil or three or more primary windings may be provided. The multiple secondary windings 14 include two secondary windings 14a-14b, but are not limited to this. Four or more secondary windings may be provided. Therefore, the number of secondary windings is not limited to two, but may alternatively be a multiple of two or four.

[0075] As described above, the sensor device 10' may be designed in the same manner as the sensor device 10. However, without being limited thereto, the sensor device 10' may alternatively be designed in an alternative manner to the sensor device 10, where the sensor device 10' comprises at least two printed circuit boards (not shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 3) electrically connected to each other. In this case, at least one of the primary winding 12 and the secondary winding 14 may be designed as at least partially integrated wiring that is at least partially integrated in at least one of the at least two printed circuit boards.

[0076] In an illustrative example, the at least two printed circuit boards may further comprise a printed circuit board having only two layers and a printed circuit board having three or more layers. For example, the circuit board having three or more layers may further include at least a portion of evaluation and drive circuitry for one or more of windings 12, 14 connected thereto, and / or at least one of windings 12, 14 may be fully integrated into the circuit board having only two layers.

[0077] Additionally, the sensor device 10' may further comprise a device body such as an injection molded body as described with respect to the sensor device 10 above, except that at least two printed circuit boards are attached to the device body and / or at least one of the primary winding 12 and the secondary winding 14 is at most partially formed by a bendable conductor wire.

[0078] A method of manufacturing the sensor device 10′ may include providing a bendable conductor wire; providing a device body 2; providing a primary winding 12 and / or at least one secondary winding 14, wherein at least one of the primary winding 12 and the at least one secondary winding 14 is at least partially formed by the bendable conductor wire on a surface of the device body 2; and providing a circuit board 6 connected to at least one of the primary winding 12 and the at least one secondary winding 14 on the device body 2 and attached to the device body 2.

[0079] As mentioned above, there may be a one-to-one correspondence between the number of primary windings and the number of secondary windings. Alternatively, a subset of secondary windings from a plurality of secondary windings may be assigned to exactly one primary winding. For example, primary windings from a plurality of primary windings may be assigned to two or more secondary windings, with each primary winding assigned to a subgroup of secondary windings, each subgroup having an equal number of secondary windings.

[0080] 3 , electronic circuitry may be provided by the printed circuit board 16. The electronic circuitry may apply electrical signals to the multiple primary windings 12 and / or receive electrical signals output by the multiple secondary windings 14. For example, the electronic processing circuitry may include oscillator circuitry integrated into or coupled to the printed circuit board 16, whereby periodic electrical signals may be applied to the multiple primary windings 12.

[0081] For example, multiple primary windings 12 may be connected in a resonator circuit that is powered by an oscillator circuit (not shown) integrated on the printed circuit board 16. For example, multiple primary windings 12 may be formed by a series connection of primary windings 12 a, 12 b. However, no limitation is implied and a suitable parallel connection of primary windings 12 a and 12 b may be provided.

[0082] The secondary windings 14a and 14b of the multiple secondary windings 14 may be subdivided into two subgroups of serially connected secondary windings (i.e., the two secondary windings in each subgroup may be connected in series), with each subgroup separately connected to the printed circuit board 16. For example, the secondary winding 14a may be formed by a group of two or more secondary windings connected in series with each other, and the secondary winding 14b may be formed by another subgroup of secondary windings. Each of these subgroups may provide a dedicated electrical signal to the printed circuit board 16, based on which an angular position determination may be made in the sensor system 20. The secondary windings in each subset may be wound and interconnected with each other such that the voltage signal output by the subset represents a differential signal at the contacts of the printed circuit board 16. This means that the voltage signal output by the subset corresponds to a voltage difference. For example, the voltage signal output by one subset may be phase-shifted relative to the voltage signal output by another subset, e.g., so that one signal represents a sine wave signal and the other signal represents a cosine wave signal.

[0083] In some specific, but non-limiting examples herein, all of the primary windings 12 and all of the secondary windings 14 may have the same winding orientation relative to one another, as described with respect to the embodiment disclosed above based on Figure 3. Each of the secondary windings 14 may be connected to one another in subgroups so that a differential signal can be picked up by the printed circuit board 16. Thus, on the printed circuit board, signals proportional to sine and cosine signals may be provided by the secondary windings, such that, for example, angle signals may be input onto the printed circuit board.

[0084] For other configurations of the target pattern 22 different from the illustrated target pattern 22 (as described above with respect to various configurations of the target pattern), suitable forms for the secondary and primary windings may be selected, for example, sinusoidal or rectangular coil forms.

[0085] In some exemplary embodiments, the primary windings 12 may be arranged relative to the secondary windings 14 such that each of the primary windings 12a and 12b and each of the secondary windings 14a and 14b may be arranged in a winding pair, such that the windings in that winding pair have the greatest inductive coupling compared to the inductive coupling between the windings in that winding pair and the windings in another winding pair. For example, the primary winding 12a and the primary winding 14a may form a winding pair 12a, 14a that has the greatest inductive coupling between the primary winding 12a and the secondary winding 14a compared to the inductive coupling between the primary winding 12a and the secondary winding 14b and the inductive coupling between the secondary winding 14a and the primary winding 12b. The remaining windings 12b and 14b may then be arranged in winding pairs. This may be achieved according to certain illustrative (but non-limiting) examples of winding arrangements in which the primary winding and the secondary winding are directly opposite each other or interleaved with each other. This arrangement may result in maximum signal strength generated by each winding pair, such that little to no amplification is required by the signals generated by each winding pair. In a further illustrative example, the primary and secondary windings in a winding pair may be matched.

[0086] In the above, the windings are described based on primary and secondary windings in various exemplary embodiments, at least some of which may be designed as air-core coils, meaning that no magnetizable core is provided.

[0087] With respect to some exemplary embodiments, "sine wave" coils have been described above. In this context, the term "sine wave" is generally understood to mean a shape that repeats itself at least once, and the length of the shape at the maximum length interval where no repetition of the shape occurs is called the period. In a specific illustrative example, since it is known that the sine and cosine of an angle φ arise from each other with a phase shift of 90° or one-quarter of a period (cosφ=sin(φ+90°)), a "cosine wave" shape may also be considered to belong to the term "sine wave."

[0088] The term "essentially" is used to express that deviations and modifications that have little or no effect on the function or effect to be achieved are also possible. Deviations within a 50% range, for example, up to 25%, or up to 15%, or up to 10%, or up to 5%, or up to 1%, are considered acceptable.

[0089] With respect to various embodiments of the sensor device having secondary windings connected to subgroups, those skilled in the art will understand that each of the primary and secondary windings may be coupled and / or connected to a particular winding orientation or winding sense, such that a magnetic field is generated in each primary winding associated with a particular subgroup of secondary windings, which induces a voltage in each associated secondary winding of the particular subgroup such that at the connection end of the particular subgroup to the printed circuit board, a voltage difference occurs from the corresponding voltage induced in the individual secondary windings of the particular subgroup. This means that the voltage signals output by the subsets correspond to the voltage difference. For example, the voltage signals output by one subset may be phase-shifted relative to the voltage signals output by another subset, e.g., so that one signal may represent a sine wave signal and the other signal may represent a cosine wave signal.

[0090] Although the application is described with reference to the drawings in relation to a rotor position sensor, this is not meant to be limiting. Instead of a rotor position sensor, the invention may be applied to a position sensor that does not directly sense the position of an electric machine rotor, but rather detects the position of any rotating part that rotates only over a limited angular range or continuously, such as a part flanged to the electric machine rotor via a gearbox, or any rotary control element.

Claims

1. A sensor device (10; 10') for a position sensor, preferably a rotor position sensor, having a printed circuit board (6; 16), a primary winding (4a; 12) and at least one secondary winding (4b; 14), wherein at least one of the primary winding (4a; 12) and the at least one secondary winding (4b; 14) is at least partially formed by a bendable conductor wire; a device body (2), wherein one of the bendable conductor wires of the primary winding (4a; 12) and the at least one secondary winding (4b; 14) is entirely attached to a surface portion of the device body (2); A sensor device (10; 10') comprising:

2. 2. The sensor device (10; 10') according to claim 1, wherein the bendable conductor wire is routed as a planar coil section, preferably with a sinusoidal coil path within the planar coil section.

3. 3. The sensor device (10; 10') according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the device body (2) has a groove (8) through which at least one of the bendable conductor wires of the primary winding (4a; 12) and the at least one secondary winding (4b; 14) is completely routed.

4. 4. The sensor device (10; 10') according to claim 3, wherein the groove (8) has a coil-accommodating groove portion (8a) that is laterally limited by web portions (2c1, 2c2) of the surface of the device body (2), preferably formed as a ring-shaped coil groove portion in the device body (2).

5. The sensor device (10; 10') according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the groove (8) further comprises a circuit board accommodating groove portion (8b) configured to completely accommodate the circuit board (6), and the groove (8) is formed on only one side of the device body (2).

6. A sensor device (10; 10') according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the device body (2) is formed as a plate-shaped or disk-shaped body, and the groove (8) is formed on the surface of the device body (2) perpendicular to the smallest dimension of the device body (2).

7. The sensor device (10; 10') according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a printed circuit board mounted on the device body (2) and connected to at least one of the primary winding (4a; 12) and the at least one secondary winding (4b; 14) on the device body (2).

8. The printed circuit board is 19,000 mm ２ Less than, preferably up to 18,500 mm ２ , more preferably up to 3,000 mm ２ 8. The sensor device (10; 10') according to claim 7, which covers an area of ​​the surface portion of the device body (2).

9. The sensor device (10; 10') according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the printed circuit board (6) comprises less than four layers.

10. 10. The sensor device (10; 10') according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the printed circuit board (6) only comprises contacts (CP), individual electrical components, preferably at least one capacitor (K) and / or at least one resistor, and an integrated circuit (C) connected to at least one of the primary winding (4a; 12) and the at least one secondary winding (4b; 14) as at least part of an integrated evaluation and / or drive circuit, one or more windings being connected to the electrical components by conductor tracks (B, B') via the contacts (CP).

11. A sensor device (10; 10') for a position sensor, preferably a rotor position sensor, having a printed circuit board (6; 16), a primary winding (4a; 12) and at least one secondary winding (4b; 14), wherein at least one of the primary winding (4a; 12) and the at least one secondary winding (4b; 14) is at least partially formed by a bendable conductor wire; A device main body (2), a printed circuit board mounted on the device body and connected to the bendable conductor wires of the primary winding (4a; 12) and at least one of the secondary windings (4b; 14); A sensor device (10; 10') comprising:

12. 1. A sensor device for a position sensor, preferably a rotor position sensor, comprising: at least two printed circuit boards electrically connected to each other; a primary winding and at least one secondary winding, wherein at least one of the primary winding and the at least one secondary winding is at least partially integrated as an at least partially integrated trace on at least one of the at least two printed circuit boards; A sensor device comprising:

13. The sensor apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the at least two printed circuit boards comprise a printed circuit board having only two layers and a printed circuit board having three or more layers.

14. 14. The sensor arrangement of claim 13, wherein at least part of an evaluation and drive circuit for one or more of the connected windings is further integrated in the printed circuit board having three or more layers and / or at least one winding is completely integrated in the printed circuit board having only two layers.

15. The sensor device according to any one of claims 12 to 14, further comprising a device body, preferably a molded body, on which the at least two printed circuit boards are mounted.

16. The sensor arrangement according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein at least one of the primary winding and the at least one secondary winding is at most partially formed by a bendable conductor wire.

17. A sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, a target element rotatably arranged relative to the sensor device; Equipped with A sensor system wherein the target element has a target pattern formed from a conductive material.

18. 1. A method for manufacturing a sensor device (10; 10') for a position sensor, preferably a rotor position sensor, having a printed circuit board (6; 16), said method comprising the steps of: Providing a bendable conductor wire; Providing a device body (2); providing at least one of a primary winding (4a; 12) and at least one secondary winding (4b; 14), said primary winding (4a; 12) and said at least one secondary winding (4b; 14) being at least partially formed by said bendable conductor wire on the surface of said device body (2); providing a printed circuit board (6) mounted on the device body (2) and connected to at least one of the primary winding (4a; 12) and the at least one secondary winding (4b; 14); A method comprising:

Images