Multi-turn position sensing device and multi-turn position sensing method

Abstract

A multi-turn position sensing device, comprising a rotating component, wherein the rotating component comprises a magnet (MG) and a rotating shaft (RS); a first multi-turn position sensor (MT1); a second multi-turn position sensor (MT2); and a signal processor (SPR), the signal processor (SPR) being coupled to the first multi-turn position sensor (MT1) and the second multi-turn position sensor (MT2), and being configured to execute the following steps: acquiring first position information of the first multi-turn position sensor (MT1) in respect of the rotating shaft (RS); acquiring second position information of the second multi-turn position sensor (MT2) in respect of the rotating shaft (RS); and performing a signal processing procedure on the first position information and the second position information to generate corresponding first long-stroke position information. Also provided is a multi-turn position sensing method.

Description

Multi-turn position sensing device and multi-turn position sensing method Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a position sensing device and a position sensing method, and more particularly to a multi-turn position sensing device and a multi-turn position sensing method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, commercially available multi-turn encoders (or rotary position sensors) typically require a "home position" or "reference position" to achieve true absolute position reading.

[0003] Researchers need to design additional starting or reference positions to meet the requirements of multiple laps of measurement, resulting in a waste of time and hardware.

[0004] Therefore, a device that can read absolute position without requiring a starting position or reference position is a project that urgently needs to be researched and developed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention is intended to provide a simplified summary of this disclosure to enable the reader to have a basic understanding of it. This summary is not a complete overview of the present disclosure and is not intended to identify key / critical elements of the embodiments or define the scope of the invention.

[0006] One embodiment of this invention relates to a multi-turn position sensing device. The multi-turn position sensing device includes a rotating component, a first multi-turn position sensor, a second multi-turn position sensor, and a signal processor. The rotating component includes a magnet and a rotating shaft. The signal processor is coupled to the first and second multi-turn position sensors. The signal processor performs the following steps: acquiring first position information from the first multi-turn position sensor on the rotating shaft; acquiring second position information from the second multi-turn position sensor on the rotating shaft; and performing a signal processing procedure on the first and second position information to generate a corresponding first long-stroke position information.

[0007] In one embodiment, the signal processor further performs the following steps: normalizing the first position information and the second position information respectively to obtain first normalized position information and second normalized position information; combining the first normalized position information and the second normalized position information into first composite position information; and reverting the first composite position information to first long-stroke position information. The first long-stroke position information is related to the total number of revolutions and the total mechanical angle.

[0008] In one embodiment, the signal processor represents a first pitch of the first position information as n1; the signal processor represents a second pitch of the second position information as n2; and the signal processor sets n2 to n1+1 according to a vernier principle algorithm.

[0009] In one embodiment, the signal processor calculates the total number of revolutions based on the vernier principle algorithm using the following formula: ns = n1 × n2 = n1 × (n1 + 1). Here, ns represents the total number of revolutions.

[0010] In one embodiment, the signal processor calculates the full-stroke mechanical angle according to the vernier principle algorithm using the following formula: θs = ns × 360° = n1 × (n1 + 1) × 360°. Where θs represents the full-stroke mechanical angle.

[0011] In one embodiment, the signal processor calculates the long-stroke position information according to the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: Ps = S1 × (n1 × n2) × 360°. Here, Ps represents the long-stroke position information, and S1 represents the first synthesized position information.

[0012] In one embodiment, the first multi-turn position sensor and the second multi-turn position sensor each include a magnetic domain wall type multi-turn position sensor; wherein the first multi-turn position sensor and the second multi-turn position sensor each have the feature of periodic cyclic position output.

[0013] In one embodiment, the multi-turn position sensing device further includes a third multi-turn position sensor. The signal processor is further configured to perform the following steps: acquiring third position information from the third multi-turn position sensor for the rotating axis; normalizing the third position information to obtain third normalized position information; combining the second normalized position information and the third normalized position information into a second composite position information; combining the first composite position information and the second composite position information into a third composite position information; and retrieving the third composite position information as a second long-stroke position information.

[0014] In one embodiment, the signal processor represents a first pitch of the first position information as n1; the signal processor represents a second pitch of the second position information as n2; the signal processor represents a third pitch of the third position information as n3; the signal processor sets n2 to n1+1 according to a vernier principle algorithm; and the signal processor sets n3 to n1+2 according to the vernier principle algorithm.

[0015] In one embodiment, the signal processor calculates the total number of revolutions based on the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: Where ns represents the total number of revolutions in the entire journey.

[0016] In one embodiment, the signal processor calculates the full-stroke mechanical angle according to the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: Where θs represents the mechanical angle of the entire stroke.

[0017] In one embodiment, the signal processor calculates the long-stroke position information according to the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: Ps = S3 × (n1 × n2 × n3) × 360°. Here, Ps represents the long-stroke position information, and S3 represents the third synthesized position information.

[0018] In one embodiment, the multi-turn position sensing device further includes an incremental position sensor. The rotating component also includes an incremental position encoder, which is disposed on one side of the incremental position sensor; wherein the incremental position sensor outputs an incremental position signal based on the incremental position encoder.

[0019] In one embodiment, the incremental position sensor includes one of a magnetic sensing element, a light sensing element, and another incremental position sensing element; and the incremental position encoder includes one of a magnetized magnetic ring, a gear, a metal etched sheet, a glass encoder, a metal encoder, and a plastic encoder.

[0020] In one embodiment, the signal processor is further configured to perform the following steps: acquiring the incremental position signal from the incremental position sensor for the rotating axis; and performing a signal processing procedure on the first position information, the second position information, and the incremental position signal to obtain a high-precision long-stroke position information.

[0021] Another technical embodiment of this application relates to a multi-turn position sensing device. The multi-turn position sensing device includes a rotating component, a first single-turn position sensor, a first number of turns sensor, a second number of turns sensor, and a signal processor. The rotating component includes a magnet and a rotating shaft. The signal processor is coupled to the first number of turns sensor, the second number of turns sensor, and the single-turn position sensor. The signal processor performs the following steps: acquiring first number of turns information from the first number of turns sensor; acquiring second number of turns information from the second number of turns sensor; acquiring first single-turn position information from the first single-turn position sensor; and performing signal processing on the first number of turns information, the second number of turns information, and the first single-turn position information to generate corresponding first long-stroke position information.

[0022] In one embodiment, the signal processor further performs the following steps: processing the first revolution count information and the first single-revolution position information to generate corresponding first position information; processing the second revolution count information and the first single-revolution position information to generate corresponding second position information; normalizing the first position information and the second position information respectively to obtain first normalized position information and second normalized position information; combining the first normalized position information and the second normalized position information into first composite position information; and reverting the first composite position information to first long-stroke position information. The first long-stroke position information is related to the total number of revolutions and the total mechanical angle.

[0023] In one embodiment, the multi-turn position sensing device further includes a first integrated circuit. The first integrated circuit includes a first revolution count decoder and a first single-turn position decoder. The first revolution count sensor outputs a first revolution count signal; the first single-turn position sensor outputs a first single-turn position signal; the first revolution count decoder obtains first revolution count information based on the first revolution count signal; the first single-turn position sensor obtains first single-turn position information based on the first single-turn position signal; and the first integrated circuit obtains the first position information based on the first revolution count information and the first single-turn position information.

[0024] In one embodiment, the multi-turn position sensing device further includes a second integrated circuit. The second integrated circuit includes a second revolution count decoder and a second single-turn position decoder. The second revolution count sensor outputs a second revolution count signal; the second single-turn position sensor outputs a second single-turn position signal; the second revolution count decoder obtains second revolution count information based on the second revolution count signal; the second single-turn position sensor obtains second single-turn position information based on the second single-turn position signal; and the second integrated circuit obtains the second position information based on the second revolution count information and the second single-turn position information.

[0025] In one embodiment, the signal processor represents a first pitch of the first position information as n1; the signal processor represents a second pitch of the second position information as n2; and the signal processor sets n2 to n1+1 according to a vernier principle algorithm.

[0026] In one embodiment, the signal processor calculates the total number of revolutions based on the vernier principle algorithm using the following formula: ns = n1 × n2 = n1 × (n1 + 1). Here, ns represents the total number of revolutions.

[0027] In one embodiment, the signal processor calculates the full-stroke mechanical angle according to the vernier principle algorithm using the following formula: θs = ns × 360° = n1 × (n1 + 1) × 360°. Where θs represents the full-stroke mechanical angle.

[0028] In one embodiment, the signal processor calculates the long-stroke position information according to the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: Ps = S1 × (n1 × n2) × 360°. Here, Ps represents the long-stroke position information, and S1 represents the first synthesized position information.

[0029] In one embodiment, the first turn count sensor and the second turn count sensor each include an anisotropic magnetoresistive sensor.

[0030] In one embodiment, the first turn count sensor and the second turn count sensor each comprise a helical magnetoresistive material composed of a magnetoresistive effect element; wherein the magnetoresistive effect element comprises either a giant magnetoresistive effect element or a tunneling magnetoresistive element.

[0031] In one embodiment, the first single-turn position sensor and the second single-turn position sensor are each composed of a magnetic sensing element; wherein the magnetic sensing element includes one of an anisotropic magnetoresistive element, a giant magnetoresistive effect element, and a tunneling magnetoresistive element.

[0032] In one embodiment, the first single-turn position sensor and the second single-turn position sensor each include a Hall sensor.

[0033] Another technical embodiment of this case relates to a multi-turn position sensing method. The multi-turn position sensing method includes the following steps: acquiring first position information of a first multi-turn position sensor for a rotating axis; acquiring second position information of a second multi-turn position sensor for a rotating axis; and performing a signal processing procedure on the first position information and the second position information to generate corresponding first long-stroke position information.

[0034] In one embodiment, the multi-turn position sensing method further includes the following steps: normalizing the first position information and the second position information respectively to obtain first normalized position information and second normalized position information; combining the first normalized position information and the second normalized position information into first composite position information; and recovering the first composite position information as first long-stroke position information. The first long-stroke position information is related to the total number of revolutions and the total mechanical angle.

[0035] In one embodiment, the multi-loop position sensing method further includes the following steps: representing a first pitch of the first position information as n1; representing a second pitch of the second position information as n2; and setting n2 to n1+1 according to a vernier principle algorithm.

[0036] In one embodiment, the multi-circle position sensing method further includes the following steps: calculating the total number of circles according to the vernier principle algorithm, and using the following formula: ns=n1×n2=n1×(n1+1), where ns represents the total number of circles.

[0037] In one embodiment, the multi-turn position sensing method further includes the following steps: calculating the full-stroke mechanical angle according to the vernier principle algorithm, and using the following formula: θs=ns×360°=n1×(n1+1)×360°, where θs represents the full-stroke mechanical angle.

[0038] In one embodiment, the multi-loop position sensing method further includes the following steps: calculating the long-stroke position information according to the vernier principle algorithm, and using the following formula: Ps=S1×(n1×n2)×360°, where Ps represents the first long-stroke position information and S1 represents the first synthetic position information.

[0039] Another technical embodiment of this case relates to a multi-turn position sensing method. The multi-turn position sensing method includes the following steps: acquiring first turn count information from a first turn count sensor for a rotating axis; acquiring second turn count information from a second turn count sensor for a rotating axis; acquiring first single-turn position information for a rotating axis; and performing a signal processing procedure on the first turn count information, the second turn count information, and the first single-turn position information to generate corresponding first long-stroke position information.

[0040] In one embodiment, the multi-turn position sensing method further includes the following steps: integrating the first number of revolutions information and the first single-turn position information to obtain a first position information; integrating the second number of revolutions information and the first single-turn position information to obtain a second position information; normalizing the first position information and the second position information respectively to obtain a first normalized position information and a second normalized position information; synthesizing the first normalized position information and the second normalized position information into a first composite position information; and recovering the first composite position information as the first long-stroke position information; wherein the first long-stroke position information is related to a full-stroke number of revolutions and a full-stroke mechanical angle.

[0041] Therefore, according to the technical content of this case, the multi-turn position sensing device and multi-turn position sensing method shown in the embodiments of this case can achieve the function of storing the absolute number of rotations of a magnet without the need for an additional power supply.

[0042] Furthermore, this invention offers the following advantages: when the sensing device is powered back on, the revolution count can be read without further user operation or system reset. Therefore, the true absolute position can be read upon startup without requiring an additional starting or reference position.

[0043] After reading the following embodiments, those skilled in the art will be able to easily understand the basic spirit and other inventive objectives of this invention, as well as the technical means and implementation methods adopted in this invention. Attached Figure Description

[0044] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a multi-ring position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 2A is a block diagram illustrating a first multi-turn position sensor of a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 2B is a block diagram illustrating a second multi-turn position sensor of a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 3 is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of this case;

[0048] Figure 4 is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of this case;

[0049] Figure 5A is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 5B is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of this case;

[0051] Figure 6A is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 6B is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of this case;

[0053] Figure 7 is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention;

[0054] Figure 8 is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 9 is a block diagram illustrating a multi-ring position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 10A is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 10B is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 10C is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 11A is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0060] Figure 11B is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0061] Figure 11C is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention;

[0062] Figure 12A is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0063] Figure 12B is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0064] Figure 13 is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0065] Figure 14 is a data diagram illustrating a multi-loop position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0066] Figure 15 is a block diagram illustrating a multi-ring position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0067] Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a multi-loop position sensing method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0068] Figure 17 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a multi-loop position sensing method according to an embodiment of this case.

[0069] Reference numerals: 100: Multi-turn position sensing device; 10: Rotating component; RS: Rotating shaft; MG: Magnet; MT1: First multi-turn position sensor; MT2: Second multi-turn position sensor; SPR: Signal processor; P1: First position information; P2: Second position information; PS: Long stroke position information; 110: Long stroke position sensor; TC1: First revolution sensor; ST1: First single-turn position sensor; ICD1: First integrated circuit; TCD1: First revolution decoder; STP1: First single-turn position decoder; stc1: First revolution signal; sstp1: First single-turn position signal; TC2: Second revolution sensor; ST2: Second... Single-lap position sensor ICD2: Second integrated circuit TCD2: Second lap count decoder STP2: Second single-lap position decoder stc2: Second lap count signal sstp2: Second single-lap position signal C: Lap count information C1: First lap count information / Lap count information C2: Second lap count information / Lap count information Pst: Single-lap position information Pst1: First single-lap position information / Single-lap position information Pst2: Second single-lap position information / Single-lap position information MPS1: First position information MPS2: Second position information MPS1N: First normalized position information MPS2N: Second normalized position information SY1: Composite position information / First composite position information S1R: First Long-stroke position information (mechanical angle) / First long-stroke position information 100A: Multi-turn position sensing device 10A: Rotating component RSA: Rotating shaft MGA: Magnet MT1A: First multi-turn position sensor MT2A: Second multi-turn position sensor SPRA: Signal processor P1A: First position information P2A: Second position information PSA: Second long-stroke position information / Long-stroke position information 110A: Long-stroke position sensor P3A: Third position information P1AN: First normalized position information P2AN: Second normalized position information P3AN: Third normalized position information SY1A: First composite position information / Composite position information SY2A: Second composite Position Information / Synthetic Position Information SY3A: Third Synthetic Position Information / Synthetic Position Information 100B: Multi-turn Position Sensing Device 10B: Rotating Component RSB: Rotating Shaft MGB: Magnet IPCB: Incremental Position Encoder IPSB: Incremental Position Sensor MT1B: First Multi-turn Position Sensor MT2B: Second Multi-turn Position Sensor SPRB: Signal Processor P1B: First Position Information P2B: Second Position Information PSB: Long-stroke Position Information / High-precision Long-stroke Position Information 110B: Long-stroke Position Sensor 1600: Multi-turn Position Sensing Method 1610~1630: Steps 1700: Multi-turn Position Sensing Method 1710~1740: Steps Detailed Implementation

[0070] To make the description of this disclosure more detailed and complete, illustrative descriptions of the implementation methods and specific embodiments of this case are provided below; however, this is not the only form of implementing or using the specific embodiments of this case. The implementation methods cover the features of multiple specific embodiments and the methods, steps, and their order for constructing and operating these specific embodiments. However, other specific embodiments may also be used to achieve the same or equivalent functions and order of steps.

[0071] Unless otherwise defined in this specification, the scientific and technical terms used herein have the same meaning as understood and commonly used by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. Furthermore, unless conflicting with the context, the singular form of a noun used herein includes its plural form; and when multiple nouns are used, the singular form is also included.

[0072] In addition, the term "coupled" or "connected" as used in this article may refer to two or more components making direct physical or electrical contact with each other, or making indirect physical or electrical contact with each other, or to two or more components operating or moving with each other.

[0073] Some embodiments of this disclosure can be understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are also considered part of the description of the embodiments of this disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings of the embodiments of this disclosure are not shown to scale of actual devices and components. The shape and thickness of the embodiments may be exaggerated in the drawings to clearly illustrate the features of the embodiments of this disclosure. Furthermore, the structures and devices in the drawings are shown schematically to clearly illustrate the features of the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0074] In this article, the term "device" is used to refer to an object consisting of one or more transistors and / or one or more active and passive components connected in a certain way to process signals.

[0075] Here, the terms "about," "approximately," and "roughly" generally indicate within 20% of a given value or range, preferably within 10%, and even more preferably within 5%, or within 3%, or within 2%, or within 1%, or within 0.5%. The quantities given here are approximate quantities, meaning that the meaning of "about," "approximately," and "roughly" may be implied even without specific mention of them.

[0076] Certain terms are used in the specification and claims to refer to specific elements. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the same element may be referred to by different names. The specification and claims do not distinguish elements by differences in name, but rather by differences in function. The term "comprising" as used in the specification and claims is an open-ended term and should therefore be interpreted as "comprising but not limited to".

[0077] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, in one embodiment, the multi-turn position sensing device 100 includes a rotating component 10 and a long-stroke position sensor 110. The long-stroke position sensor 110 includes a first multi-turn position sensor MT1, a second multi-turn position sensor MT2, and a signal processor SPR. The rotating component 10 includes a magnet MG and a rotating shaft RS. The signal processor SPR is coupled to the first multi-turn position sensor MT1 and the second multi-turn position sensor MT2.

[0078] In this embodiment, the first multi-turn position sensor MT1 can output first position information P1, the second multi-turn position sensor MT2 can output second position information P2, and the long-stroke position sensor 110 or the signal processor SPR can output long-stroke position information PS.

[0079] In some embodiments, the first multi-turn position sensor MT1 may be, in particular, a magnetic domain wall based multi-turn encoder, and the second multi-turn position sensor MT2 may be, in particular, a magnetic domain wall based multi-turn encoder, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0080] In some embodiments, a multi-turn position sensor can measure angles from 0 to 360 degrees and the corresponding number of complete revolutions. Unlike single-turn encoders, which output angle data only within a single revolution, multi-turn position sensors can provide information across multiple revolutions, as opposed to general technologies. Multi-turn position sensors are typically used in devices (or apparatuses) with more than one revolution, such as monitoring the position of moving parts in a linear platform or providing position feedback in a geared rotation system. Multi-turn position sensors allow for reading the true absolute position at startup without requiring a "home" or "reference" position, but this is not a limitation of the present invention.

[0081] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPR is used to perform the following steps: acquiring first position information P1 of a first multi-turn position sensor MT1 for the rotation axis RS; and acquiring second position information P2 of a second single-turn position sensor MT2 for the rotation axis RS.

[0082] For example, the signal processor SPR can receive first position information P1 and / or second position information P2. The first multi-turn position sensor MT1 can obtain the first position information P1 through the magnetic relationship with the rotation axis RS. The first position information P1 can correspond to the data relationship diagram in Figure 5A below. The second multi-turn position sensor MT2 can obtain the second position information P2 through the magnetic relationship with the rotation axis RS. The second position information P2 can correspond to the data relationship diagram in Figure 5B below, but this case is not limited thereto.

[0083] In detail, in some embodiments, the magnet MG is fixed on the rotation shaft RS and rotates together with the rotation shaft RS, thereby causing the magnetic field of the magnet MG to rotate, but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first multi-turn position sensor MT1 and the second multi-turn position sensor MT2 can each sense the change in magnetic properties caused by the rotation of the magnet MG. Without the need for a power supply, the first multi-turn position sensor MT1 and the second multi-turn position sensor MT2 can each store the position information of the number of rotations of the magnet MG and the mechanical angle of a single turn, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0084] In some embodiments, whenever the first multi-turn position sensor MT1 is re-energized, the first multi-turn position sensor MT1 can provide first position information P1 to the back-end signal processor SPR within a mechanical angle range of 0° to θ1 (e.g., θ1 = n1 × 360°) within the range of n1 revolutions from 0 to (n1-1), but this embodiment is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, whenever the second multi-turn position sensor MT2 is re-energized, the second multi-turn position sensor MT2 can provide second position information P2 to the back-end signal processor SPR within a mechanical angle range of 0° to θ2 (e.g., θ2 = n2 × 360°) within the range of n2 revolutions from 0 to (n2-1), but this embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0085] In some embodiments, within the mechanical angle range of 0° to θ1 within the number of revolutions from 0 to (n1-1) revolutions, the first position information P1 has a linear increasing (or decreasing) relationship with the number of revolutions (or angle) of the magnet (which may correspond to Figure 5A below), but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, within the mechanical angle range of 0° to θ2 within the number of revolutions from 0 to (n2-1) revolutions, the second position information P2 has a linear increasing (or decreasing) relationship with the number of revolutions (or angle) of the magnet (which may correspond to Figure 5B below), but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0086] In some embodiments, when the number of rotations of the magnet exceeds 0 to (n1-1) rotations (or the angle exceeds 0° to θ1 mechanical angle), the position information output by the first multi-turn position sensor MT1 will cycle, that is, the first position information P1 will be output periodically in the form of n1 rotations or θ1 mechanical angle, and the pitch can be n1 rotations, but this embodiment is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, when the number of rotations of the magnet exceeds 0 to (n2-1) rotations (or the angle exceeds 0° to θ2 mechanical angle), the position information output by the second multi-turn position sensor MT2 will cycle, that is, the second position information P2 will be output periodically in the form of n2 rotations or θ2 mechanical angle, and the pitch can be n2 rotations, but this embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0087] In this embodiment, the signal processor SPR is used to perform the following steps: performing a signal processing procedure on the first position information P1 and the second position information P2 to generate corresponding first long-stroke position information PS.

[0088] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPR performs the following steps: normalizing the first position information P1 and the second position information P2 respectively to obtain first normalized position information and second normalized position information.

[0089] For example, the first normalized location information may correspond to the data relationship diagram in Figure 6A below, and the second normalized location information may correspond to the data relationship diagram in Figure 6B below, but this case is not limited to this.

[0090] In this embodiment, the signal processor SPR performs the following steps: synthesizing the first normalized position information and the second normalized position information into a first synthesized position information.

[0091] For example, the signal processor SPR can perform the synthesis operation by numerical addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and the first synthesis position information can correspond to the data relationship diagram in Figure 7 below, but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, similarly, the signal processor SPR can also perform the synthesis operation by a signal processing program, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0092] In this embodiment, the signal processor SPR performs the following steps: reconstructing the first synthetic position information as first long-stroke position information PS. The first long-stroke position information PS is related to the total number of revolutions and the total mechanical angle.

[0093] For example, the signal processor SPR can obtain the absolute position information of the rotating part after more than 10 revolutions through the nonius principle (or vernier principle) method and coding, allowing the system to read the true absolute position at startup without performing a reply operation. The nonius principle method and coding will be explained in detail later. Similarly, the signal processor SPR can also obtain the absolute position information of the rotating part 10 through the signal processing program, allowing the system to read the true absolute position at startup without performing a reply operation, but this case is not limited to this.

[0094] In some embodiments, the first long-stroke position information PS can be the output of a mechanical angle range of 0° to θs (e.g., θs = ns × 360°) within the range of 0 to (ns-1) total ns revolutions. In other words, it is the output of the absolute position of the angle from 0° to θs, but this invention is not limited to this.

[0095] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPR represents the first pitch of the first position information P1 as n1. The signal processor SPR represents the second pitch of the second position information P2 as n2. The signal processor SPR sets n2 to n1+1 according to the vernier principle algorithm.

[0096] For example, the vernier principle algorithm can be the vernier principle method and encoding described above. The signal processor SPR sets (n1,n2) = (n1,n1+1) according to the vernier principle algorithm, but this case is not limited to this.

[0097] In some embodiments, the first position information P1 has a linearly increasing (or decreasing) relationship with the rotation angle of the magnet and cycles periodically. Taking n1=15 as an example, one cycle is a mechanical angle of 15×360°=5400°, but this case is not limited to this.

[0098] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPR calculates the total number of revolutions based on the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: ns = n1 × n2 = n1 × (n1 + 1). Where ns represents the total number of revolutions.

[0099] For example, n1 can be 15 revolutions, n2 can be 16 revolutions, and ns can be 240 revolutions. ns can also represent the pitch of the first long-stroke position information PS, but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, n1 can be 45 revolutions, n2 can be 46 revolutions, and ns can be 2070 revolutions, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0100] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPR calculates the full-stroke mechanical angle according to the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: θs=ns×360°=n1×(n1+1)×360°. Where θs represents the full-stroke mechanical angle.

[0101] For example, when (n1,n2) = (15,16), ns can be 240 revolutions, which is close to 8 bits = 256 revolutions, and θs can be 86400°, but this is not a limitation in this case. In some embodiments, when (n1,n2) = (45,46), ns can be 2070 revolutions, which is close to 11 bits = 2048 revolutions, and θs can be 745,200°, but this is not a limitation in this case.

[0102] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPR calculates the first long-stroke position information according to the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: Ps = S1 × (n1 × n2) × 360°. Ps represents the first long-stroke position information, and S1 represents the first composite position information.

[0103] In some embodiments, compared to the prior art, this invention can employ at least two sets of magnetic domain wall type multi-turn position sensors, and the multi-turn position sensors have the characteristic of periodic cyclic position output. This invention can increase the countable number of turns (stroke) by using the vernier principle. Furthermore, the total number of turns (e.g., ns turns) using two multi-turn position sensors can be (n1+1) times the number of turns (e.g., n1 turns) using one multi-turn position sensor. Therefore, this invention can effectively improve the counting range of turns and mechanical angles, but this invention is not limited to this.

[0104] In some embodiments, this invention can achieve the effect of long-stroke position information output, thus broadening the application domain. In some embodiments, this invention can add at least one set of incremental position sensors to form a long-stroke, high-precision multi-turn position sensor. Thus, this invention can achieve the effect of long-stroke and high-precision position information output, broadening the application domain, but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the synthesis operation in this invention can be a process of converting at least two periodic signals (e.g., first position information P1 and second position information P2) into a single periodic signal (e.g., synthesized position information), but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, Figure 7 can be a schematic diagram of presenting the difference signal of at least two periodic signals (e.g., the difference signal of first position information P1 and second position information P2) in unsigned 10-bit data form. In detail, the difference signal obtained by subtracting the first position information P1 and the second position information P2 is converted into unsigned 10-bit data form to obtain the single periodic signal (i.e., the first synthesized position information) of Figure 7, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0105] Figure 2A is a block diagram illustrating a first multi-turn position sensor of a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2A, in one embodiment, the first multi-turn position sensor MT1 may include a first turn count sensor TC1, a first single-turn position sensor ST1, and a first integrated circuit ICD1. The first integrated circuit ICD1 includes a first turn count decoder TCD1 and a first single-turn position decoder STP1.

[0106] For example, the first turn count sensor TC1 can be a sensor based on the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect, and the first single-turn position sensor STP1 can be a sensor based on anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR).

[0107] In some embodiments, the number of turns sensor may be a helical magnetoresistive material composed of magnetoresistive (MR) element nanowires. The magnetoresistive element may be GMR, tunnel magnetoresistive (TMR), etc., but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0108] In some embodiments, the single-turn position sensor may be composed of a magnetic sensing element, such as a Hall element, AMR, GMR, TMR, or other magnetoresistive element, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0109] In some embodiments, the single-turn position sensor may be composed of a photosensitive element, such as a photosensitive element configured with a single-turn absolute position encoding / decoding method, such as a photodiode (PD) or an image sensor, but this invention is not limited thereto. Correspondingly, if the single-turn position sensor is composed of a photosensitive element, then there is a corresponding optical code disk on the rotation axis RS as the sensing object, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0110] In some embodiments, this invention can achieve the function of storing the absolute number of rotations or absolute mechanical angle of a magnet without the need for a power supply by using at least one rotation sensor, at least one single-rotation position sensor and integrated circuit.

[0111] In some embodiments, the first revolution count sensor TC1, the first single-revolution position sensor ST1, and the first integrated circuit ICD1 may all be integrated in one place, but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first revolution count sensor TC1, the first single-revolution position sensor ST1, and the first integrated circuit ICD1 may not all be integrated in one place, and may be interconnected via additional components, but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first revolution count sensor TC1, the first single-revolution position sensor ST1, and the first integrated circuit ICD1 may only be partially integrated in one place, and then connected via additional components, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0112] In some embodiments, the first multi-turn position sensor MT1, the first turn count sensor TC1, and / or the first single-turn position sensor ST1 may rely solely on an external magnetic field, and the turn count operation does not require additional backup power or energy harvesting technology. Furthermore, when the aforementioned sensors are powered back on, the turn count and position status can be read without further user operation or system reset, but this application is not limited thereto.

[0113] In one embodiment, the first lap count sensor TC1 is used to output a first lap count signal stc1, the first single lap position sensor ST1 is used to output a first single lap position signal sstp1, the first lap count decoder TCD1 obtains the first lap count information C1 based on the first lap count signal stc1, and the first single lap position sensor ST1 obtains the first single lap position information Pst1 based on the first single lap position signal sstp1.

[0114] For example, the first lap count signal stc1 can be processed by the first lap count decoder TCD1 to obtain the first lap count information C1, which can correspond to the lap count information C in Figure 3 below. The first single lap position signal sstp1 can be processed by the first single lap position decoder STP1 to obtain the first single lap position information Pst1, which can correspond to the single lap position information Pst in Figure 4 below, but this case is not limited to this.

[0115] In this embodiment, the first integrated circuit ICD1 obtains the first position information P1 based on the first number of revolutions information C1 and the first single-revolution position information Pst1.

[0116] For example, the first integrated circuit ICD1 can integrate the number of revolutions C in Figure 3 and the single-revolution position information Pst in Figure 4 to obtain the first position information P1, but this case is not limited to this.

[0117] Figure 2B is a block diagram illustrating a second multi-turn position sensor of a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0118] As shown in Figure 2B, in one embodiment, the second multi-turn position sensor MT2 may include a second turn count sensor TC2, a second single-turn position sensor ST2, and a second integrated circuit ICD2. The second integrated circuit ICD2 includes a second turn count decoder TCD2 and a second single-turn position decoder STP2.

[0119] In this embodiment, the second revolution sensor TC2 outputs a second revolution signal stc2, the second single-revolution position sensor ST2 outputs a second single-revolution position signal sstp2, the second revolution decoder TCD2 obtains the second revolution information C2 based on the second revolution signal stc2, and the second single-revolution position sensor ST2 obtains the second single-revolution position information Pst2 based on the second single-revolution position signal sstp2. In this embodiment, the second integrated circuit ICD2 obtains the second position information P2 based on the second revolution information C2 and the second single-revolution position information Pst2.

[0120] For example, the operation of the second revolution sensor TC2, the second single-revolution position sensor ST2, and the second integrated circuit ICD2 in Figure 2B is similar to the operation of the first revolution sensor TC1, the first single-revolution position sensor ST1, and the first integrated circuit ICD1 in Figure 2A. For the sake of brevity, these will not be described in detail here.

[0121] Referring to Figures 1, 2A, and 2B, in one embodiment, the multi-turn position sensing device 100 includes a rotating component 10, a first single-turn position sensor ST1, a first number of turns sensor TC1, a second number of turns sensor TC2, and a signal processor SPR. The rotating component 10 includes a magnet MG and a rotating shaft RS. The signal processor SPR is coupled to the first number of turns sensor TC1, the second number of turns sensor TC2, and the first single-turn position sensor ST1. The signal processor SPR performs the following steps: acquiring first number of turns information C1 from the first number of turns sensor TC1 on the rotating shaft RS; acquiring second number of turns information C2 from the second number of turns sensor TC2 on the rotating shaft RS; acquiring first single-turn position information Pst1 from the first single-turn position sensor ST1 on the rotating shaft RS; and performing signal processing on the first number of turns information C1, the second number of turns information C2, and the first single-turn position information Pst1 to generate corresponding first long-stroke position information PS.

[0122] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPR performs the following steps: generating (or integrating) first position information P1 by processing first revolution number information C1 and first single-revolution position information Pst1; generating (or integrating) second position information P2 by processing second revolution number information C2 and second single-revolution position information Pst2; normalizing first position information P1 and second position information P2 respectively to obtain first normalized position information and second normalized position information; combining first normalized position information and second normalized position information into first composite position information; and restoring the first composite position information into first long-stroke position information PS. The first long-stroke position information PS is related to the total number of revolutions and the total mechanical angle.

[0123] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPR represents the first pitch of the first position information P1 as n1. The signal processor SPR represents the second pitch of the second position information P2 as n2. The signal processor SPR sets n2 to n1+1 according to the vernier principle algorithm.

[0124] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPR calculates the total number of revolutions based on the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: ns = n1 × n2 = n1 × (n1 + 1). Where ns represents the total number of revolutions.

[0125] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPR calculates the full-stroke mechanical angle according to the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: θs=ns×360°=n1×(n1+1)×360°. Where θs represents the full-stroke mechanical angle.

[0126] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPR calculates the first long-stroke position information according to the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: Ps = S1 × (n1 × n2) × 360°. Ps represents the first long-stroke position information, and S1 represents the first composite position information.

[0127] Figure 3 is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in Figure 3, in some embodiments, Figure 3 may be a data relationship diagram between the number of turns information C and the rotation angle (mechanical angle) of the magnet, but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the number of turns information C in Figure 3 may be obtained directly or indirectly through the hardware shown in Figures 1, 2A and / or 2B, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0128] Figure 4 is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in Figure 4, in some embodiments, Figure 4 may be a data relationship diagram between single-turn position information Pst and the rotation angle (mechanical angle) of the magnet, but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the single-turn position information Pst in Figure 4 can be obtained directly or indirectly through the hardware shown in Figures 1, 2A and / or 2B, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0129] Figure 5A is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in Figure 5A, in some embodiments, Figure 5A may be a data relationship diagram between the first position information MPS1 and the magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0130] Figure 5B is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in Figure 5B, in some embodiments, Figure 5B may be a data relationship diagram between the second position information MPS2 and the magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first position information MPS1 and the second position information MPS2 in Figures 5A and 5B can be obtained directly or indirectly through the hardware shown in Figures 1, 2A and / or 2B, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0131] Figure 6A is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in Figure 6A, in some embodiments, Figure 6A can be a data relationship diagram between the first normalized position information MPS1N and the magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first normalized position information MPS1N in Figure 6A can be obtained by normalizing or numerically calculating the first position information MPS1 in Figure 5A, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0132] Figure 6B is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in Figure 6B, in some embodiments, Figure 6B can be a data relationship diagram between the second normalized position information MPS2N and the magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the second normalized position information MPS2N in Figure 6B can be obtained by normalizing or numerically calculating the second position information MPS2 in Figure 5B, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0133] Figure 7 is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in Figure 7, in some embodiments, Figure 7 may be a data relationship diagram between the synthesized position information SY1 and the magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the synthesized position information SY1 in Figure 7 can be obtained by synthesizing or numerically calculating the first normalized position information MPS1N in Figure 6A and the second normalized position information MPS2N in Figure 6B, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0134] Figure 8 is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in Figure 8, in some embodiments, Figure 8 may be a data relationship diagram between the first long-stroke position information (mechanical angle) S1R and the magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first long-stroke position information (mechanical angle) S1R in Figure 8 can be obtained by recovering or numerically calculating the synthetic position information SY1 in Figure 7, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0135] Figure 9 is a block diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 9, in one embodiment, the multi-turn position sensing device 100A includes a rotating component 10A and a long-stroke position sensor 110A. The long-stroke position sensor 110A includes a first multi-turn position sensor MT1A, a second multi-turn position sensor MT2A, a third multi-turn position sensor MT3A, and a signal processor SPR. The rotating component 10A includes a magnet MGA and a rotation axis RSA. The signal processor SPR is coupled to the first multi-turn position sensor MT1A, the second multi-turn position sensor MT2A, and the third multi-turn position sensor MT3A.

[0136] For example, the hardware structure and operation steps of the multi-turn position sensing device 100A in Figure 9 are similar to those of the multi-turn position sensing device 100 in Figure 1. For the sake of brevity, these will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the multi-turn position sensing device 100A in Figure 9 also includes a third multi-turn position sensor MT3A compared to the multi-turn position sensing device 100 in Figure 1, but this invention is not limited to this.

[0137] Figure 10A is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 10A, in some embodiments, Figure 10A may be a data relationship diagram between first position information P1A and magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0138] Figure 10B is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in Figure 10B, in some embodiments, Figure 10B may be a data relationship diagram between second position information P2A and magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0139] Figure 10C is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in Figure 10C, in some embodiments, Figure 10C may be a data relationship diagram between third position information P3A and magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0140] Figure 11A is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 11A, in some embodiments, Figure 11A may be a data relationship diagram between the first normalized position information P1AN and the magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0141] Figure 11B is a data graph illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 11B, in some embodiments, Figure 11B may be a data relationship graph between the second normalized position information P2AN and the magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0142] Figure 11C is a data graph illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in Figure 11C, in some embodiments, Figure 11C may be a data relationship graph between third normalized position information P3AN and magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0143] Figure 12A is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in Figure 12A, in some embodiments, Figure 12A may be a data relationship diagram between the first synthetic position information SY1A and the magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0144] Figure 12B is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in Figure 12B, in some embodiments, Figure 12B may be a data relationship diagram between the second synthetic position information SY2A and the magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0145] Figure 13 is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in Figure 13, in some embodiments, Figure 13 may be a data relationship diagram between the third synthetic position information SY3A and the magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0146] Figure 14 is a data diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 14, in some embodiments, Figure 14 may be a data relationship diagram between the second long-stroke position information (mechanical angle) PSA and the magnet rotation angle (mechanical angle), but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0147] Please refer to Figures 9 to 14. In one embodiment, the signal processor SPRA performs the following steps: acquiring first position information P1A of a first multi-turn position sensor MT1A from the rotation axis RSA; acquiring second position information P2A of a second multi-turn position sensor MT2A from the rotation axis RSA; acquiring third position information P3A of a third multi-turn position sensor MT3A from the rotation axis RSA; and normalizing the first position information P1A and the second position information P2A respectively to obtain first normalized position information P1AN and second normalized position information P2AN. The third position information P3A is normalized to obtain the third normalized position information P3AN; the first normalized position information P1AN and the second normalized position information P2AN are combined to form the first composite position information SY1A; the second normalized position information P2AN and the third normalized position information P3AN are combined to form the second composite position information SY2A; the first composite position information SY1A and the second composite position information SY2A are combined to form the third composite position information SY3A; and the third composite position information SY3A is restored to the second long-stroke position information PSA.

[0148] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPRA represents the first pitch of the first position information P1A as n1, the second pitch of the second position information P2A as n2, and the third pitch of the third position information P3A as n3. The signal processor SPRA sets n2 to n1+1 and n3 to n1+2 according to the vernier principle algorithm.

[0149] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPRA calculates the total number of revolutions based on the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: ns represents the total number of laps.

[0150] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPRA calculates the full-stroke mechanical angle based on the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: θs represents the mechanical angle throughout the entire stroke.

[0151] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPRA calculates the second long-stroke position information PSA according to the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: Ps = S3 × (n1 × n2 × n3) × 360°. Ps represents the long-stroke position information PSA, and S3 represents the third composite position information SY3A.

[0152] For example, some operation steps of the multi-turn position sensing device 100A in Figure 9 are similar to some operation steps of the multi-turn position sensing device 100 in Figure 1. For the sake of brevity, these will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the multi-turn position sensing device 100A in Figure 9, compared to the multi-turn position sensing device 100 in Figure 1, also includes a third multi-turn position sensor MT3A. The operation and hardware structure of the third multi-turn position sensor MT3A can be similar to the operation and hardware structure of the first multi-turn position sensor MT1 in Figure 1, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0153] In one embodiment, when (n1,n2,n3) = (6,7,8), ns can be 168 revolutions and θs can be 60,480°, but this invention is not limited to this. In some embodiments, when (n1,n2,n3) = (50,51,52), ns can be 66,300 revolutions and θs can be 23,868,000°. In this case, θs is close to 16 bits = 65,536 revolutions, which is a typical specification for a servo motor system, but this invention is not limited to this.

[0154] In some embodiments, the total number of revolutions ns of the three sets of multi-turn position sensors MT1, MT2, and MT3 is compared to the number of revolutions n1 of only one multi-turn position sensor MT1. A multiple increase can effectively boost the number of counts, but this case is not limited to this.

[0155] Figure 15 is a block diagram illustrating a multi-turn position sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 15, in one embodiment, the multi-turn position sensing device 100B includes a rotating component 10B and a long-stroke position sensor 110B. The long-stroke position sensor 110B includes a first multi-turn position sensor MT1B, a second multi-turn position sensor MT2B, an incremental position sensor IPSB, and a signal processor SPRB. The rotating component 10B includes a magnet MGB, a rotating shaft RSB, and an incremental position encoder IPCB. The signal processor SPRB is coupled to the first multi-turn position sensor MT1B, the second multi-turn position sensor MT2B, and the incremental position sensor IPSB.

[0156] For example, the hardware structure and operation steps of the multi-turn position sensing device 100B in Figure 15 are similar to those of the multi-turn position sensing device 100 in Figure 1. For the sake of brevity, these will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the multi-turn position sensing device 100B in Figure 15, compared to the multi-turn position sensing device 100 in Figure 1, also includes an incremental position sensor (IPSB) and an incremental position encoder (IPCB). The incremental position sensor (IPSB) and the incremental position encoder (IPCB) will be described in detail below.

[0157] In one embodiment, the incremental position encoder disk IPCB is disposed on one side of the incremental position sensor IPSB. The incremental position sensor IPSB outputs an incremental position signal Si based on the incremental position encoder disk IPCB.

[0158] For example, the incremental position encoder IPCB can be disposed on the opposite side of the incremental position sensor IPSB. For instance, the incremental position encoder IPCB is disposed on the left side and the incremental position sensor IPSB is disposed on the right side. The incremental position sensor IPSB and the incremental position encoder IPCB can perform magnetic induction or optical induction to make the incremental position sensor IPSB output an incremental position signal Si. The incremental position information Pi contains the incremental position signal Si, but this application is not limited to this.

[0159] In one embodiment, the incremental position sensor (IPS) IPSB includes one of a magnetic sensing element, a light sensing element, and other incremental position sensing elements.

[0160] For example, the incremental position sensor IPSB may be composed of a magnetic sensing element, a light sensing element or other incremental position sensing elements, or may be composed of the aforementioned sensing elements and a sensing element signal processor. The magnetic sensing element may be a magnetoresistive element such as Hall, AMR, GMR, TMR, etc., and the light sensing element may be a photodiode, an image sensing element, etc., but this application is not limited to these.

[0161] In some embodiments, when the incremental position sensor IPSB is composed of a sensing element, the incremental position sensor IPSB can provide an incremental position signal Si to the back-end signal processor SPRB, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0162] In some embodiments, when the incremental position sensor IPSB is composed of a sensing element and a sensing element signal processor, the incremental position sensor IPSB can provide fine incremental position information Pi to the back-end signal processor SPRB, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0163] In one embodiment, the incremental position code disk (IPCD) IPCB includes one of a magnetized magnetic ring, a gear, a metal etched sheet, a glass encoder disk, a metal encoder disk, and a plastic encoder disk.

[0164] For example, the incremental position encoder IPCB can be paired with magnetic sensing elements, such as magnetized magnetic rings, gears, metal etched sheets, etc. Similarly, the incremental position encoder IPCB can also be paired with optical sensing elements, such as glass encoder disks, metal encoder disks, plastic encoder disks, etc., but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the incremental position encoder IPCB can be fixed on a rotation axis and rotate together with the rotation axis, thereby causing the magnetic or optical properties to rotate, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0165] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPRB is further configured to perform the following steps: acquiring the incremental position signal Si from the incremental position sensor from the rotary axis RSB; and performing a signal processing procedure on the first position information P1B, the second position information P2B, and the incremental position signal Si to obtain high-precision long-stroke position information PSB.

[0166] In one embodiment, the signal processor SPRB is further configured to perform the following steps: acquiring incremental position information Pi from the incremental position sensor for the rotary axis RSB; and performing a signal processing procedure on the first position information P1B, the second position information P2B, and the incremental position information Pi to obtain high-precision long-stroke position information PSB.

[0167] For example, the operation of the signal processor SPRB in Figure 15 can be based on the operation of the signal processor SPR in Figure 1 to perform the above operation. Some hardware structures and some operations of the multi-turn position sensing device 100B in Figure 15 can correspond to some hardware structures and some operations of the multi-turn position sensing device 100 in Figure 1, but this application is not limited thereto.

[0168] It should be noted that the signal processor SPRB in Figure 15 can further obtain high-precision long-stroke position information PSB through incremental position signal Si or incremental position information Pi, but this case is not limited to this.

[0169] In some embodiments, the high-precision long-stroke position information PSB can be the output of a mechanical angle range of 0° to θs (where θs = ns × 360°) within the range of 0 to (ns-1) total ns revolutions. In other words, it is the output of the absolute position of the angle from 0° to θs, but this invention is not limited to this.

[0170] In some embodiments, the magnets MG, MGA, and MGB of this invention may have at least one north pole (N pole) N and at least one south pole (S pole) S, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0171] In some embodiments, the encoder can achieve high resolution and high precision by sensing the real physical quantities (e.g., light energy or magnetic flux density) of the fine encoder disk (e.g., incremental position encoder disk IPCB) and finely segmenting the electronic signals.

[0172] For example, in a single-turn absolute 24-bit resolution encoder, 10 bits can be obtained from 1,024 cycles of scale patterns (i.e., incremental patterns, which correspond to incremental signals) on the encoder disk. Electronic fine division technology further divides the signal corresponding to each cycle of the scale pattern sensed by actual optical sensing into 14-bit (i.e., 16,384) equal parts, ultimately obtaining a total resolution of 24 bits and high precision characteristics. Therefore, by combining the long-stroke multi-turn position sensor of this proposal with an incremental position sensor and its matching incremental position code disk, the accuracy of single-turn absolute position information can be effectively improved, thus forming a long-stroke high-precision multi-turn position sensor (or encoder).

[0173] In some embodiments, the signal processors SPR, SPRA, and SPRB of this invention can be microprocessors (MPU), central processing units (CPU), graphics processing units (GPU), microcontroller units (MCU), servers, etc., but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0174] In some embodiments, the multi-turn position sensing devices 100, 100A, and 100B of this invention may further include a memory, which may be coupled to a signal processor SPR, SPRA, or SPRB, and the memory may store data. Furthermore, the memory may be random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), cache, flash memory, memory card, hard disk (such as cloud / network hard drive / external hard drive), optical disk, USB flash drive, or database, etc., but this invention is not limited to these.

[0175] In some embodiments, the cursor principle algorithm of this invention can be any type of programming language code, algorithm, software, or firmware, but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the cursor principle algorithm of this invention can be executed by a computer, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0176] Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a multi-loop position sensing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 16, the multi-loop position sensing method 1600 includes multiple steps 1610 to 1630, and these multiple steps 1610 to 1630 will be described in detail below.

[0177] In step 1610, the first position information of the first multi-turn position sensor is obtained for the rotating axis.

[0178] Please refer to Figures 1 and 16 together. In one embodiment, the first position information P1 of the first multi-turn position sensor MT1 can be obtained from the rotating axis RS by the signal processor SPR.

[0179] In step 1620, the second position information of the second multi-turn position sensor is obtained for the rotating axis.

[0180] Please refer to Figures 1 and 16 together. In one embodiment, the second position information P2 of the second multi-turn position sensor MT2 can be obtained from the rotation axis RS by the signal processor SPR.

[0181] In step 1630, the first position information and the second position information are processed by a signal processing procedure to generate corresponding first long-stroke position information.

[0182] Please refer to Figures 1 and 16 together. In one embodiment, the first position information P1 and the second position information P2 can be processed by the signal processor SPR to generate the corresponding first long-stroke position information PS.

[0183] In one embodiment, the first location information and the second location information are normalized to obtain first normalized location information and second normalized location information.

[0184] Please refer to Figures 1 and 16 together. In one embodiment, the first position information P1 and the second position information P2 can be normalized by the signal processor SPR to obtain the first normalized position information and the second normalized position information.

[0185] In one embodiment, the first normalized location information and the second normalized location information are combined into the first synthesized location information.

[0186] Please refer to Figures 1 and 16 together. In one embodiment, the first normalized position information and the second normalized position information can be synthesized into the first synthesized position information by the signal processor SPR.

[0187] In one embodiment, the first synthesized position information is restored as the first long-stroke position information.

[0188] Please refer to Figures 1 and 16 together. In one embodiment, the first synthetic position information can be recovered as long-stroke position information PS by the signal processor SPR.

[0189] In one embodiment, the first long stroke position information is related to the total number of revolutions and the total mechanical angle.

[0190] In one embodiment, the multi-loop position sensing method 1600 further includes the following steps: representing the first pitch of the first position information P1 as n1; representing the second pitch of the second position information P2 as n2; and setting n2 to n1+1 according to the vernier principle algorithm.

[0191] In one embodiment, the multi-circle position sensing method 1600 further includes the following steps: calculating the total number of circles based on a vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: ns = n1 × n2 = n1 × (n1 + 1). ns represents the total number of circles.

[0192] In one embodiment, the multi-turn position sensing method 1600 further includes the following steps: calculating the full-stroke mechanical angle according to a vernier principle algorithm, and using the following formula: θs=ns×360°=n1×(n1+1)×360°. θs represents the full-stroke mechanical angle.

[0193] In one embodiment, the multi-loop position sensing method 1600 further includes: calculating first long-stroke position information PS according to a vernier principle algorithm, and using the following formula: Ps = S1 × (n1 × n2) × 360°. Ps represents the first long-stroke position information PS, and S1 represents the first synthetic position information SY1.

[0194] Figure 17 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a multi-loop position sensing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 17, the multi-loop position sensing method 1700 includes multiple steps 1710 to 1740, and these multiple steps 1710 to 1740 will be described in detail below.

[0195] In step 1710, the first revolution number information of the first revolution number sensor is obtained for the rotating shaft.

[0196] Please refer to Figures 1 to 2B and Figure 17 together. In one embodiment, the first revolution information C1 of the first revolution sensor TC1 can be obtained from the rotation axis RS by the signal processor SPR.

[0197] In step 1720, the second revolution number information of the second revolution number sensor is obtained for the rotating shaft.

[0198] Please refer to Figures 1 to 2B and Figure 17 together. In one embodiment, the second rotation number information C2 of the second rotation number sensor TC2 can be obtained from the rotation axis RS by the signal processor SPR.

[0199] In step 1730, the position information of the first single rotation of the rotating axis is obtained.

[0200] Please refer to Figures 1 to 2B and Figure 17 together. In one embodiment, the first single-turn position information Pst1 of the first single-turn position sensor ST1 can be obtained from the rotating axis RS by the signal processor SPR.

[0201] In step 1740, the first lap number information, the second lap number information, and the first single lap position information are processed by a signal processing program to generate the corresponding first long stroke position information.

[0202] Please refer to Figures 1 to 2B and Figure 17 together. In one embodiment, the first long-stroke position information PS can be generated by the signal processor SPR through the signal processing program of the first revolution number information C1, the second revolution number information C2 and the first single-revolution position information Pst1.

[0203] In one embodiment, the multi-turn position sensing method 1700 further includes the following steps: generating (or integrating) first position information by performing a signal processing procedure on first revolution number information and first single-turn position information; generating (or integrating) second position information by performing a signal processing procedure on second revolution number information and first single-turn position information; normalizing the first position information and second position information respectively to obtain first normalized position information and second normalized position information; combining the first normalized position information and second normalized position information into first composite position information; and recovering the first composite position information into first long-stroke position information; wherein the first long-stroke position information is related to the total number of revolutions and the total mechanical angle.

[0204] In some embodiments, the multi-turn position sensing methods 1600 and 1700 can be implemented by multi-turn position sensing devices 100, 100A, and 100B, but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the multi-turn position sensing methods 1600 and 1700 can be implemented by non-transitory computer-readable storage media, but this invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the multi-turn position sensing methods 1600 and 1700 can be implemented by other systems or servers, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0205] In some embodiments, the multiple steps within each of the multi-turn position sensing methods 1600 and 1700 may be executed sequentially, or the order may be adjusted or shuffled according to user requirements, but this invention is not limited thereto.

[0206] As can be seen from the above embodiments of this invention, applying this invention has the following advantages. The multi-turn position sensing device and multi-turn position sensing method shown in this embodiment can achieve the function of storing the absolute number of rotations of a magnet without the need for an additional power supply.

[0207] Furthermore, this invention offers the following advantages: when the sensing device is powered back on, the revolution count can be read without further user operation or system reset. Therefore, the true absolute position can be read upon startup without requiring an additional starting or reference position.

[0208] The ordinal numbers in this specification and claims, such as "first", "second", "third", etc., are not sequential in any way; they are only used to distinguish two different elements with the same name.

[0209] Although the above embodiments disclose specific embodiments of this case, they are not intended to limit this case. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations to it without departing from the principles and spirit of this case. Therefore, the scope of protection of this case shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multi-turn position sensing device, comprising: Rotating component, including magnet and rotating shaft; First multi-turn position sensor; The second multi-turn position sensor; and A signal processor, coupled to the first multi-turn position sensor and the second multi-turn position sensor, is used to perform the following steps: The first position information of the first multi-turn position sensor is obtained for the rotating axis; The second position information of the second multi-turn position sensor is obtained for the rotating axis; The first position information and the second position information are processed by a signal processing program to generate corresponding first long-stroke position information.

2. The multi-turn position sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the signal processor further performs the following steps: The first location information and the second location information are normalized respectively to obtain the first normalized location information and the second normalized location information; The first normalized position information and the second normalized position information are combined into the first composite position information; as well as The first synthesized location information is returned as the first long-stroke location information; The first long stroke position information is related to the total number of revolutions and the total mechanical angle.

3. The multi-loop position sensing device according to claim 2, wherein... The signal processor represents the first pitch of the first position information as n1; The signal processor represents the second pitch of the second position information as n2; The signal processor sets n2 to n1+1 according to the vernier principle algorithm.

4. The multi-turn position sensing device according to claim 3, wherein... The signal processor calculates the total number of revolutions based on the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: ns = n1 × n2 = n1 × (n1 + 1) Where ns represents the total number of revolutions in the entire journey.

5. The multi-turn position sensing device according to claim 4, wherein... The signal processor calculates the full-stroke mechanical angle based on the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: θs=ns×360°=n1×(n1+1)×360° Where θs represents the mechanical angle of the entire stroke.

6. The multi-turn position sensing device according to claim 5, wherein... The signal processor calculates the first long-stroke position information according to the vernier principle algorithm, and uses the following formula: Ps=S1×(n1×n2)×360° Where Ps represents the first long-stroke position information and S1 represents the first synthesized position information.

7. The multi-turn position sensing device according to claim 2, further comprising: Incremental position sensor; The rotating component further includes an incremental position encoder, which is disposed on one side of the incremental position sensor. The incremental position sensor outputs an incremental position signal based on the incremental position encoder.

8. The multi-turn position sensing device according to claim 7, wherein The incremental position sensor includes one of a magnetic sensing element, a light sensing element, and other incremental position sensing elements; The incremental position encoder includes one of a magnetized magnetic ring, a gear, a metal etched sheet, a glass encoder, a metal encoder, and a plastic encoder.

9. The multi-turn position sensing device according to claim 7, wherein The signal processor is further used to perform the following steps: The incremental position signal of the incremental position sensor is acquired for the rotation axis; and The first position information, the second position information, and the incremental position signal are processed by a signal processing program to obtain high-precision long-stroke position information.

10. A multi-turn position sensing device, comprising: Rotating component, including magnet and rotating shaft; First single-turn position sensor; First revolution count sensor; Second rotation sensor; and A signal processor, coupled to the first revolution count sensor, the second revolution count sensor, and the first single-revolution position sensor, is used to perform the following steps: The first revolution count information of the first revolution count sensor is obtained for the rotating axis; The second revolution count information of the second revolution count sensor is obtained for the rotating axis; The first single-turn position information of the first single-turn position sensor is obtained for the rotating axis; The first lap number information, the second lap number information, and the first single lap position information are processed by a signal processing program to generate the corresponding first long-stroke position information.

11. The multi-turn position sensing device of claim 10, wherein the signal processor further performs the following steps: The first lap number information and the first single lap position information are integrated and processed to obtain the first position information; The second lap number information and the first single lap position information are integrated and processed to obtain the second position information; The first location information and the second location information are normalized respectively to obtain the first normalized location information and the second normalized location information; The first normalized position information and the second normalized position information are combined into the first composite position information; as well as The first synthesized location information is returned as the first long-stroke location information; The first long stroke position information is related to the total number of revolutions and the total mechanical angle.

12. The multi-turn position sensing device according to claim 11, further comprising: The first integrated circuit includes: First-round decoder; and First single-loop position decoder; The first revolution sensor is used to output the first revolution signal; The first single-turn position sensor is used to output the first single-turn position signal; The first revolution count decoder obtains the first revolution count information based on the first revolution count signal; The first single-loop position sensor obtains the first single-loop position information based on the first single-loop position signal; The first integrated circuit obtains the first position information based on the first number of revolutions and the first single-revolution position information.

13. The multi-turn position sensing device according to claim 12, further comprising: The second integrated circuit includes: Second-round decoder; and Second single-loop position decoder; The second revolution sensor is used to output the second revolution signal; The second single-turn position sensor is used to output the second single-turn position signal; The second revolution decoder obtains the second revolution information based on the second revolution signal; The second single-turn position sensor obtains the second single-turn position information based on the second single-turn position signal; The second integrated circuit obtains the second position information based on the second number of revolutions and the second single-revolution position information.

14. The multi-turn position sensing device according to claim 11, wherein... The signal processor represents the first pitch of the first position information as n1; The signal processor represents the second pitch of the second position information as n2; The signal processor sets n2 to n1+1 according to the vernier principle algorithm.

15. The multi-turn position sensing device according to claim 14, wherein... The signal processor calculates the total number of revolutions based on the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: ns = n1 × n2 = n1 × (n1 + 1) Where ns represents the total number of revolutions in the entire journey.

16. The multi-turn position sensing device according to claim 15, wherein... The signal processor calculates the full-stroke mechanical angle based on the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: θs=ns×360°=n1×(n1+1)×360° Where θs represents the mechanical angle of the entire stroke.

17. The multi-turn position sensing device according to claim 16, wherein... The signal processor calculates the first long-stroke position information according to the vernier principle algorithm, and uses the following formula: Ps=S1×(n1×n2)×360° Where Ps represents the first long-stroke position information and S1 represents the first synthesized position information.

18. The multi-turn position sensing device according to claim 11, wherein... The first and second turns sensors each include a sensor based on anisotropic magnetoresistive force.

19. A multi-loop position sensing method, comprising: Acquire the first position information of the first multi-turn position sensor for the rotating axis; The second position information of the second multi-turn position sensor is obtained for the rotating axis; The first position information and the second position information are processed by a signal processing program to generate corresponding first long-stroke position information.

20. The multi-loop position sensing method according to claim 19, further comprising: The first location information and the second location information are normalized respectively to obtain the first normalized location information and the second normalized location information; The first normalized position information and the second normalized position information are combined into the first composite position information; as well as The first synthesized location information is returned as the first long-stroke location information; The first long stroke position information is related to the total number of revolutions and the total mechanical angle.

21. The multi-loop position sensing method according to claim 20, further comprising: The first pitch of the first location information is represented by n1; The second pitch of the second position information is represented by n2; and Based on the vernier principle algorithm, n2 is set to n1+1.

22. The multi-loop position sensing method according to claim 21, further comprising: The total number of revolutions is calculated based on the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: ns = n1 × n2 = n1 × (n1 + 1) Where ns represents the total number of revolutions in the entire journey.

23. The multi-loop position sensing method according to claim 22, further comprising: The full-stroke mechanical angle is calculated based on the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: θs=ns×360°=n1×(n1+1)×360° Where θs represents the mechanical angle of the entire stroke.

24. The multi-loop position sensing method according to claim 23, further comprising: The first long-stroke position information is calculated based on the vernier principle algorithm, using the following formula: Ps=S1×(n1×n2)×360° Where Ps represents the first long-stroke position information and S1 represents the first synthesized position information.

Images